International Cricket

Australia Tour Sri Lanka 2026 Test Day-by-Day Fixtures Tickets

Priya Suresh 19 May 2026 Updated 19 May 2026 ~6 min read ~1,030 words

Galle Fort visible from the cricket ground during a Test

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Australia tour Sri Lanka for two Tests from June 24 to July 8, 2026, the second leg of Australia's 2025-26 Asian Test commitments after the home summer ended. The two Tests are at Galle (June 24-28) and the SSC Colombo (July 2-6) with a four-day rest window between. White-ball matches (two ODIs, three T20Is) follow from July 11 to July 21. Here is the full red-ball day-by-day grid with ticket release dates, hotel zones, and travel tips for traveling fans.

Test 1: Galle (June 24-28)

Day 1: Wednesday June 24. Start time 10:00 am local (Sri Lanka Standard Time). Toss 9:30 am. Gates open 8:00 am. Lunch 12:00-12:40. Tea 2:40-3:00. Stumps approximately 5:00 pm with overs make-up potential to 5:30.

Day 2: Thursday June 25. Same session windows. Galle weather typically warm and humid; pitch dries through the day. Sweep shot and reverse-sweep practice was a big feature of Australia's 2024 tour preparation.

Day 3: Friday June 26. Same session windows. Galle Test third day is typically when batting collapses happen on a spinning surface.

Day 4: Saturday June 27. Same session windows. The match often ends on day 4 in Galle.

Day 5: Sunday June 28. If still in progress, same session windows.

Travel days for fans: Galle is 2.5 hours by car from Colombo. Trains from Maradana run twice daily and take 3.5 hours. Galle Fort, the UNESCO heritage site, is a 15-minute walk from the cricket ground. Hotels near the ground (Fort area and Unawatuna) are 60-90% occupied during Test weeks; book early.

Tickets released by Sri Lanka Cricket on March 5, 2026. Standard tier USD 35, premium USD 65, VIP USD 120. International fan tickets through the SLC fan portal include a USD 5 facilitation fee.

Travel days and the four-day window

Australia's squad travels from Galle to Colombo on June 29. Australia's training day at the SSC is June 30 (private). July 1 is a recovery day with optional batting nets in the morning, public access closed.

For fans planning to attend both Tests, the four-day window between can be used for a Kandy day-trip (3 hours by car from Colombo, with the Temple of the Tooth and Royal Botanical Gardens), or for the southern coast (Mirissa for whale watching, 1 hour by car from Galle).

Test 2: SSC, Colombo (July 2-6)

Day 1: Thursday July 2. Start time 10:00 am local. Same session windows as Galle. SSC pitch traditionally offers more pace than Galle and has a faster outfield. Day 1 morning session at SSC is often the best for new-ball pace bowling in Sri Lanka.

Day 2: Friday July 3. Same session windows.

Day 3: Saturday July 4. Same session windows. Weekend day with the largest local attendance.

Day 4: Sunday July 5. Same session windows.

Day 5: Monday July 6. Final day if needed.

The SSC is in central Colombo and easily accessible by tuk-tuk and taxi. The closest train station is Cinnamon Gardens. Hotels in Cinnamon Gardens and Colpetty (Col-3) are the typical fan-zone for SSC Tests.

Tickets released March 12, 2026, slightly after Galle to space out the demand. Standard tier USD 28, premium USD 55, VIP USD 100. SSC is larger capacity than Galle and tickets remain available at the time of writing for both standard and premium tiers across all five days.

What to expect on the pitches

Galle is a spinning track. The 2025 Test against Pakistan saw 28 wickets fall to spin out of 36 in the match. Australia's spinners (Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann) will be the front-line bowlers. The batters who score in Galle are those willing to use their feet against spin (Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne historically) and those who play sweep and reverse-sweep effectively.

The SSC is faster than Galle but spin still dominates the third and fourth innings. Australia's pace bowlers (Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc) will share new-ball overs with the spinners getting earlier introductions than they would in SENA conditions.

Hotel zones and travel logistics

For Galle Test: stay in Fort, Unawatuna, or Hikkaduwa. Fort hotels are within walking distance of the ground; Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa are 15-20 minutes by tuk-tuk. Average mid-range hotel cost during Test week: USD 90 to USD 150 per night.

For SSC Test: stay in Cinnamon Gardens, Colpetty, or Bambalapitiya. Cinnamon Gardens is the most convenient with multiple hotels at the GBP 100 mid-range tier. Colpetty offers cheaper options at GBP 50-70.

Visa for Indian, UK, Australian, and most European fans is the Sri Lanka ETA, available online, USD 50. Processing time 48 hours.

What it means

Two Tests in two distinct conditions over 13 days. Galle is the spinner's graveyard; the SSC is the slightly faster track. Australia tour Sri Lanka in winter 2026 carrying their 2024 series-loss memory. Sri Lanka are coached by Sanath Jayasuriya and built around Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis with the bat. The Tests are part of the 2025-27 WTC cycle. Plan your travel around the four-day Colombo window. The match cricket will reward those who travel.