South Africa Women will embark on their maiden senior tour of Zimbabwe later this year, with Zimbabwe Cricket confirming a five-match T20I series in Bulawayo scheduled for September 2026. The games will be played at Queens Sports Club, and the visit also marks the first time the two sides will meet at the top level since they took each other on twice during a quadrangular event in South Africa in May 2017.
Key takeaways
- South Africa Women and Zimbabwe Women will contest five T20Is in September 2026 in Bulawayo.
- The series is set to take place at Queens Sports Club.
- It will be the first senior meeting between the teams since May 2017, when they played twice in South Africa.
- Zimbabwe’s most recent home assignment came in September–October 2025 versus the UAE Women.
- Zimbabwe’s earlier this year campaign in the global Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier in Nepal ended without qualification for the tournament starting in England next month.
Series details and context
Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed that the tour will feature a five-match T20I series in September 2026, with all fixtures scheduled to be staged at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. For South Africa Women, the trip represents a landmark moment as it is their first tour of Zimbabwe at senior level.
For Zimbabwe Women, the upcoming series also provides an important home opportunity after a stretch of international travel. Following their last home series in September–October 2025 against UAE Women, Zimbabwe went on to tour New Zealand and Pakistan.
There is added significance to the schedule because Zimbabwe and South Africa Women have not faced each other at the senior level since their encounter during a quadrangular series in South Africa back in May 2017, where they played twice.
Road to September 2026 and the World Cup qualifier update
Zimbabwe’s campaign earlier in 2026 in the global Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier, held in Nepal, did not go as hoped, and the side failed to book a place in the tournament that is set to begin in England next month. That setback adds weight to the home series later in the year as Zimbabwe look to refocus and test themselves against a top-tier opponent.
Zimbabwe Cricket’s leadership expressed optimism about the challenge ahead, with Givemore Makoni, the managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket, welcoming South Africa Women to Zimbabwe. Makoni said the tour promises to be both historic and engaging, noting that South Africa are among the strongest teams in world cricket and that playing elite opposition in local conditions will provide Zimbabwe’s players with valuable experience. He also pointed to the series as evidence of Zimbabwe Cricket’s ongoing commitment to investing in women’s cricket and creating more chances for players to compete at the highest level.
Match schedule
- 1st T20I — September 11, 2026
- 2nd T20I — September 13, 2026
- 3rd T20I — September 15, 2026
- 4th T20I — September 17, 2026
- 5th T20I — September 19, 2026
