Written by: Ankit Yadav
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The Ford Trophy 2025-26 is the 55th season of New Zealand’s premier domestic one-day cricket tournament. It will run from October 25, 2025, to February 22, 2026, with 3 matches per day.

A total of 6 teams are participating in this New Zealand domestic tournament:

  • Northern Knight 
  • Otago
  • Wellington
  • Centerbury
  • Central District 
  • Auckland

The Ford Trophy is a crucial part of New Zealand’s domestic cricket calendar, providing players with an opportunity to adapt to the one-day format and aligning well with international cricket. Canterbury is the most successful team in this tournament, having won 17 times. 

Canterbury will play as defending champion, having retained their title in 2024/25 after winning the 2023/24 edition. Get its schedule, squad, and format in this blog. 

The Ford Trophy 2025/26 Schedule

The tournament will kick off with the clash between Auckland and Northern Knights at Eden Park Outer Oval. Each team will play 10 group-stage matches, and a total of 32 matches will be played, including knockout games.

The Ford Trophy 2025/26 Schedule
Source: NZC
Date & DayMatch No.MatchVenueLocal Time
Saturday, October 25Match 1Auckland vs Northern KnightsEden Park Outer Oval, Auckland10:30 AM
Saturday, October 25Match 2Central Districts vs WellingtonPukekura Park, New Plymouth10:30 AM
Saturday, October 25Match 3Canterbury vs OtagoHagley Oval, Christchurch10:30 AM
Thursday, October 30Match 4Wellington vs CanterburyBasin Reserve, Wellington10:30 AM
Thursday, October 30Match 5Central Districts vs Northern KnightsPukekura Park, New Plymouth10:30 AM
Thursday, October 30Match 6Auckland vs OtagoEden Park Outer Oval, Auckland10:30 AM
Monday, November 3Match 7Otago vs Central DistrictsUniversity Oval, Dunedin10:30 AM
Monday, November 3Match 8Northern Knights vs WellingtonSeddon Park, Hamilton10:30 AM
Monday, November 3Match 9Canterbury vs AucklandHagley Oval, Christchurch10:30 AM
Saturday, November 8Match 10Northern Knights vs CanterburySeddon Park, Hamilton10:30 AM
Saturday, November 8Match 11Wellington vs OtagoBasin Reserve, Wellington10:30 AM
Saturday, November 8Match 12Auckland vs Central DistrictsEden Park Outer Oval, Auckland10:30 AM
Wednesday, November 12Match 13Canterbury vs Central DistrictsMainpower Oval, Rangiora10:30 AM
Wednesday, November 12Match 14Wellington vs AucklandBasin Reserve, Wellington10:30 AM
Wednesday, November 12Match 15Northern Knights vs OtagoBay Oval, Mount Maunganui10:30 AM
Wednesday, February 4Match 16Otago vs Northern KnightsUniversity Oval, Dunedin10:30 AM
Wednesday, February 4Match 17Auckland vs CanterburyEden Park Outer Oval, Auckland10:30 AM
Wednesday, February 4Match 18Wellington vs Central DistrictsBasin Reserve, Wellington10:30 AM
Saturday, February 7Match 19Otago vs WellingtonUniversity Oval, Dunedin10:30 AM
Saturday, February 7Match 20Canterbury vs Northern KnightsMainpower Oval, Rangiora10:30 AM
Saturday, February 7Match 21Central Districts vs AucklandMcLean Park, Napier10:30 AM
Tuesday, February 10Match 22Auckland vs WellingtonEden Park Outer Oval, Auckland10:30 AM
Tuesday, February 10Match 23Otago vs CanterburyQueen’s Park, Invercargill10:30 AM
Tuesday, February 10Match 24Northern Knights vs Central DistrictsSeddon Park, Hamilton10:30 AM
Friday, February 13Match 25Central Districts vs OtagoSaxton Oval, Nelson10:30 AM
Friday, February 13Match 26Canterbury vs WellingtonHagley Oval, Christchurch10:30 AM
Friday, February 13Match 27Northern Knights vs AucklandCobham Oval (New), Whangarei10:30 AM
Tuesday, February 17Match 28Otago vs AucklandJohn Davies Oval, Queenstown10:30 AM
Tuesday, February 17Match 29Central Districts vs CanterburySaxton Oval, Nelson10:30 AM
Tuesday, February 17Match 30Wellington vs Northern KnightsBasin Reserve, Wellington10:30 AM
Friday, February 20EliminatorTBC vs TBCBasin Reserve, Wellington10:30 AM
Sunday, February 22FinalTBC vs TBCBasin Reserve, Wellington10:30 AM

The Ford Trophy 2025/26 Squad

Here is the squad of all 6 teams participating in this tournament: 

The Ford Trophy 2025/26 Squad
Source: ESPNcricinfo

Northern Knight Squad 

Joe Carter, Robert O’Donnell, Katene D Clarke, Fergus Lellman, Xavier Bell, Scott Kuggeleijn, Joshua Harvey Brown, Brett Hampton, Tim Pringle, Ben Pomare, Kristian Clarke, Zak Gibson

Otago Squad 

Jack Boyle, Troy Johnson, Thorn Parkes, Jamal Todd, Luke Georgeson, Jake Gibson, Llew Johnson, Max Chu, Matthew Bacon, Danru Ferns, Ben Lockrose, Jarrod McKay

Wellington Squad

James Hartshorn, Tim Robinson, Nick Kelly, Jesse Tashkoff, Tom Blundell, Callum McLachlan, Sam Mycock, Gareth Severin, Liam Dudding, Michael Snedden, Logan van Beek, Peter Younghusband

Centerbury Squad

Chad Bowes, Matthew Boyle, Rhys Mariu, Henry Nicholls, Sean Davey, Cole McConchie, Michael Rippon, Mitchell Hay, Angus McKenzie, Michael Rae, Ish Sodhi, Fraser Sheat

Central District Squad 

Tom Bruce, William Clark, Josh Clarkson, Brad Schmulian, Jayden Lennox, Dean Foxcroft, Curtis Heaphy, Dane Cleaver, Toby Findlay, Ajaz Patel, Blair Tickner, Raymond Toole

Auckland Squad 

Siddhesh Dixit, Dale Phillips, Harrish Kannan, Bevon Jacobs, Jock McKenzie, Simon Keene, James Neesham, Cam Fletcher, Adithya Ashok, Ryan Harrison, Ben Lister, Rohit Gulati

Format Of The Ford Trophy 2025/26

The Ford Trophy 2025–26 has six regional teams competing for the domestic one-day title. The competition will follow a double round-robin format, where each team faces every other side twice, meaning ten matches per team in the group stage. This ensures a total of 30 games in the group stage.

After the round-robin phase, the team finishing first on the points table automatically qualifies for the final. In contrast, the second and third-placed teams meet in the eliminator to determine the other finalist. 

The winner of the eliminator match then faces the top team in the grand final to decide the champion. The tournament runs from October 25, 2025, to February 22, 2026, with matches hosted at 11 different venues across New Zealand.

Related Reads:

Conclusion: Will Canterbury Be Able To Defend Their Title? 

The Ford Trophy 2025–26 sets the stage for a competitive season of one-day cricket in New Zealand, where six strong teams will clash for domestic glory. As defending champions, Canterbury look to extend their dominance for the third time in a row; all eyes will be on them. 

About the Author

Meet Ankit Yadav, a dedicated cricket analyst at The Cricket Panda. Growing up playing street leagues and college tournaments, Ankit's love for cricket has been a lifelong journey. With a knack for numbers and a talent for data analysis, he brings a unique perspective to cricket reporting. At The Cricket Panda, Ankit combines his passion for cricket with his expertise in data analysis to provide fans with in-depth insights and comprehensive coverage of the sport.

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