The ICC U19 World Cup is scheduled to commence on January 19, 2024, with hosts South Africa hosting a double header against the West Indies and Ireland facing the United States.
The 15th incarnation of the tournament will feature 48 matches between the up-and-coming players of sixteen countries, with five venues showcasing the sport’s future champions.
Here is everything you need to know about the World Cup prior to the tournament.
The Groups
Group A – Bangladesh, India, Ireland, USA
Group B – England, Scotland, South Africa, West Indies
Group C – Australia, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe
Group D – Afghanistan, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan
Format
Commencing on January 30th, the event will adopt a new format in which the three teams advancing from each of the four divisions will compete in a Super Six stage.
A confrontation between two groups of six teams will ascertain the Semi-Finalists and subsequent Finalists.
Placement games will then be played between the bottom-placed teams to determine their final positions from 13 to 16.
South Africa will be the host nation of the Under-19 World Cup for the third time, following 1998 and 2020.
Two warm-up matches will be played by each team in South Africa from January 13th to the 17th.
Key Dates
On the opening day of January 19, Group A and Group B competitions commence, with Ireland facing the United States in Bloemfontein and the hosts facing the West Indies in Potchefstroom.
The inaugural match of Group D (Pakistan vs. Afghanistan) will take place in East London on January 20, whereas Group C, which is headquartered in Kimberley, commences on January 21. Zimbabwe meets with Sri Lanka to initiate group action.
The Super Six stage commences on January 30. For this stage, the best three teams from Groups A and D, in addition to the top three teams from Groups B and D, are combined. During this phase, each team competes in two matches while attempting to avoid the opponent that finished in the opposite position in the other group. As an illustration, the group leader in Group A faces the second and third placed teams in Group D.
The semi-finals commence on February 6th, and the championship match is played on February 11th. The venue for both the semi-finals and the championship match is Willowmoore Park in Benoni.
Tournament History
Year | Host(s) | Winner | Runner-up | Player of the Tournament |
| 1988 | Australia | Australia | Pakistan | – |
| 1998 | South Africa | England | New Zealand | – |
| 2000 | Sri Lanka | India | Sri Lanka | Yuvraj Singh |
| 2002 | New Zealand | Australia | South Africa | Tatenda Taibu |
| 2004 | Bangladesh | Pakistan | West Indies | Shikhar Dhawan |
| 2006 | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | India | Cheteshwar Pujara |
| 2008 | Malaysia | India | South Africa | Tim Southee |
| 2010 | New Zealand | Australia | Pakistan | Dominic Hendricks |
| 2012 | Australia | India | Australia | Will Bosisto |
| 2014 | UAE | South Africa | Pakistan | Aiden Markram |
| 2016 | Bangladesh | West Indies | India | Mehedi Hasan |
| 2018 | New Zealand | India | Australia | Shubman Gill |
| 2020 | South Africa | Bangladesh | India | Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| 2022 | West Indies | India | England | Dewald Brevis |
When it debuted in 1988, the competition was referred to as the “Youth Cricket World Cup.” At that time, the tournament was won by the hosts, Australia, who defeated Pakistan by five wickets. Ten years later, the subsequent edition was conducted in South Africa. England emerged victorious in this particular occasion.
With five championships to their credit, the defending champions, India, have been the most successful team in the tournament. Australia ranks second with three championships. It has been won twice by Pakistan, in 2004 and 2006, in contrast to Bangladesh, England, South Africa, and West Indies, all of which have achieved victory once.
