The World Test Championship (WTC) was launched in 2019 with the aim of adding significance to bilateral Test series and identifying the world’s best team in the long form of the game. It works by weighing up each team’s performances in a two-year cycle, with each series contributing points. As with the World Cups for men and women in ODI and T20I cricket, only the top nine teams compete in the WTC. Richer nations like Australia and England face five-Test series, which are generally high quality, lucrative, and difficult to win, while smaller countries often play only two Test matches against each other. This means that a single series can be crucial in determining whether a country qualifies for the final.
As such, it is fair that South Africa – whose victory over India in the 2025 WTC final was a fitting conclusion to their season – reached this year’s showpiece despite not facing either Australia or England during the current two-year cycle. The Proteas’ series wins against the West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, along with their draw against India and defeat in New Zealand, accrued enough points to allow them to reach the final in London.
The decision to award the next three WTC finals to England is a tribute to the passion that cricket fans in north London have for their country. However, it is also a reflection of the fact that the country has ideal conditions to host such fixtures, with June falling in their favoured summer window rather than a winter or monsoon season for most other Test nations.