Ireland Tour of Scotland 2026: ODI + T20I Series Preview

Ireland and Scotland are bilateral partners again on the Celtic-circuit summer calendar, and the 2026 tour is one of the better-shaped fixture packages in the Associate cycle. Three ODIs split across Aberdeen and Belfast, three T20Is at Bready in Northern Ireland, and a series window that fits between major Full-Member fixtures so the cricket gets a clean broadcast slot. For Cricket Ireland, the tour is part of the build to the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 qualification pathway. For Cricket Scotland, it is a chance to pressure-test a young squad that has shown promise across the CWC League 2 2026 cycle.

This is the tour planned in detail — venues, dates, squads, broadcast, and the ticket reality for fans on both sides of the Irish Sea.

The fixture grid

The tour runs across two weeks in late June. Three ODIs come first — two in Aberdeen, one in Belfast — followed by three T20Is at Bready.

Match	Format	Venue	Date (expected)	First-ball local
1st ODI	ODI	Mannofield Park, Aberdeen	24 Jun	13:00 BST
2nd ODI	ODI	Mannofield Park, Aberdeen	26 Jun	13:00 BST
3rd ODI	ODI	Stormont, Belfast	29 Jun	13:00 BST
1st T20I	T20I	Bready, Northern Ireland	2 Jul	17:30 BST
2nd T20I	T20I	Bready, Northern Ireland	4 Jul	17:30 BST
3rd T20I	T20I	Bready, Northern Ireland	5 Jul	14:00 BST

Dates are indicative based on the Celtic-circuit window. Both boards are expected to confirm within a week of one another.

The ODIs

Mannofield Park, Aberdeen

Mannofield is Cricket Scotland's primary home venue. Capacity is roughly 4,500. The pitch typically offers swing and seam in the morning session, with the surface flattening out for batting in the afternoon. The Aberdeen weather is the variable — early summer in north-east Scotland is warm but breezy, with a meaningful chance of cloud cover that helps the swing bowlers.

Stormont, Belfast

Stormont is the home of Ireland cricket in Belfast. Capacity is roughly 6,000. The pitch is, historically, a flatter surface than Mannofield. Run-rates are typically higher here. The third ODI at Stormont is the home-Ireland fixture in a tour where Ireland is technically the visiting side.

The T20Is at Bready

Bready, in County Tyrone, is the smaller Cricket Ireland venue with a capacity of roughly 3,500. The ground's short straight boundaries have produced high-scoring T20Is. The two evening fixtures (1st and 2nd T20I, 17:30 BST start) are the prime broadcast slots; the 3rd T20I's 14:00 BST start fits a Saturday-afternoon family-day window.

Probable XIs

Scotland probable XI

Scotland's ODI squad has been building around their pace duo of Brad Wheal and Safyaan Sharif, with Mark Watt the lead spinner. The batting unit is led by Richie Berrington and George Munsey.

Probable XI: George Munsey, Matthew Cross (wk), Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington (c), Michael Leask, Tomas Mackintosh, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Brad Wheal, Charlie Cassell.

Ireland probable XI

Ireland's ODI XI is the established Andy Balbirnie-led group. Paul Stirling opens, and the bowling combines Mark Adair's pace with Andy McBrine's off-spin.

Probable XI: Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie (c), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker (wk), George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Joshua Little, Craig Young, Barry McCarthy.

The Ireland XI is built on the same shape as the BD vs IRE bilateral group, with Mark Adair's pace recovery the key bowling story.

Session timings

UK summer cricket runs on BST (UTC+1). The Celtic-circuit fixtures are afternoon-and-evening starts, friendly for sub-continental viewers in IST.

Format	Local (BST)	IST	NZDT	AEST
ODI first ball	13:00	17:30	00:00	22:00
ODI close	21:00	01:30 (+1)	08:00	06:00 (+1)
T20I first ball (evening)	17:30	22:00	04:30	02:30 (+1)
T20I first ball (afternoon)	14:00	18:30	01:00	23:00

The ODI evenings are particularly favourable for Indian fans — comfortable post-work viewing.

Broadcast

The broadcast picture for the Celtic-circuit fixtures is a mix of free-to-air streaming (BBC iPlayer Scotland-region for Cricket Scotland fixtures, RTE Player Ireland-region for Cricket Ireland) and ICC.tv for the rest of the world. Indicative until confirmed:

Region	Broadcaster (expected)
Scotland	BBC iPlayer (geo-restricted)
Ireland	RTE Player (geo-restricted), Cricket Ireland YouTube
UK rest	BBC iPlayer (Scotland fixtures), Sky (subject to deal)
ROW	ICC.tv (sub-licensed)
India	FanCode (subject to confirmation)

The Cricket Scotland and Cricket Ireland YouTube channels typically carry highlights packages within 24 hours, free worldwide.

Tickets

Celtic-circuit tickets are the most affordable in the international cricket calendar. Indicative pricing, until both boards confirm:

Tier	ODI (GBP)	T20I (GBP)
General Adult	18-25	15-22
Family Pass (2+2)	50-65	45-55
Hospitality	90-150	85-130

Tickets typically go on sale 6-8 weeks before the first ball. We do not link to ticketing pages until they are live and verified — fans should check the Cricket Scotland and Cricket Ireland official channels for confirmed sales.

Logistics for travelling fans

Aberdeen (Mannofield)

Aberdeen is roughly 90 minutes by air from London Heathrow. The ground is a 25-minute taxi from Aberdeen International. Hotels in the city centre are within a 15-minute drive. The June weather is typically 14-19 Celsius, with a meaningful chance of summer rain.

Belfast (Stormont)

Belfast International is a 30-minute drive from Stormont. The Stormont neighbourhood has limited hotel options; most travelling fans stay in central Belfast and taxi out. The fixture is well-served by Translink's Goldline bus service.

Bready (T20Is)

Bready is in County Tyrone, roughly 90 minutes by road from Belfast and roughly 2 hours from Dublin. There is no rail link. Travelling fans typically hire cars from Belfast or Dublin airports. Local accommodation is limited; many fans day-trip from Belfast.

Squad-watch storylines

Three storylines worth tracking. First: Mark Adair's post-injury workload management, given his comeback rhythm in the BD vs IRE Test. Second: Brandon McMullen as the Scotland top-order anchor — the player has been the most consistent batter on the Scotland white-ball circuit. Third: how the squad shape signals for the T20 World Cup 2026 dark-horse conversation.

For the planning fan, this is a budget-friendly two-week tour with two distinct cricket cultures, three small-ground venues, and a fixture schedule that rewards Saturday-and-weekend planning. The Celtic circuit at its best.