The ICC World Test Championship is a two-year league for the nine leading Test nations, ending in a one-off final between the top two. The winner takes the ICC Test mace. South Africa are the reigning champions, having beaten Australia by five wickets at Lord’s in June 2025.
The third cycle is over and the fourth is running. The 2025-27 championship began in June 2025 and closes at the end of March 2027, with the final at The Oval from 9 to 13 June 2027. Standings on this page are complete to 13 September 2026.
How the World Test Championship works
Nine teams take part: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe hold Test status but are not in the championship, and Tests against them do not count towards it.
Each side plays six series — three at home and three away. Not everyone plays everyone: the fixtures are agreed in advance, so India and Pakistan, for instance, can go a whole cycle without meeting. A series is a minimum of two Tests and a maximum of five. The 2025-27 schedule is 27 series and 71 Tests.
At the end of the league the top two meet in the final. That match decides the title outright — finishing first in the league is not enough, as India have now found twice.
The points system
Points are awarded per match, not per series. This is the part most out-of-date guides get wrong: the original 2019-21 system shared a fixed 120 points across each series, so a win in a two-Test series was worth 60 and a win in a five-Test series only 24. That was scrapped after the first cycle. Since 2021 every Test is worth the same.
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| Win | 12 |
| Tie | 6 |
| Draw | 4 |
| Loss | 0 |
Teams are then ranked by points percentage (PCT), not by points total, because they do not all play the same number of Tests. The calculation is:
PCT = (points earned − penalty points) ÷ (12 × matches played) × 100
A side that wins every Test sits on 100.00. A side that draws everything sits on 33.33.
Over-rate penalties
A team that fails to bowl its overs in the time allowed loses one championship point for every full over it is short. Those deductions come off the top of the points total before the percentage is worked out, and they decide places. England have lost 14 points this cycle, Pakistan 8 and the West Indies 2 — England’s 88 points earned become 74 on the table.
World Test Championship standings 2025-27
Complete to 13 September 2026. Source: ICC.
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Deducted | Points | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 80.00 |
| 2 | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 75.00 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 72.22 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 55.56 |
| 5 | India | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 68 | 51.52 |
| 6 | England | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 74 | 38.54 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 33.33 |
| 8 | West Indies | 12 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 20.83 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 14.81 |
South Africa’s 75.00 comes off only four Tests, which is the quirk of a percentage table: a team that has played a third of another’s schedule can sit above it. The order will move a long way before March 2027.
Every World Test Championship final
Three cycles, three different champions, and India have lost two of the three finals.
| Cycle | Final | Venue | Winner | Result | Player of the Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-21 | 18-23 June 2021 | Hampshire Bowl, Southampton | New Zealand | Beat India by 8 wickets | Kyle Jamieson (7/61 in the match) |
| 2021-23 | 7-11 June 2023 | The Oval, London | Australia | Beat India by 209 runs | Travis Head (163) |
| 2023-25 | 11-14 June 2025 | Lord’s, London | South Africa | Beat Australia by 5 wickets | Aiden Markram (136) |
2021 — New Zealand beat India. A six-day final with two days lost to rain. India made 217 and 170; New Zealand replied with 249 and knocked off 139 for two, Kane Williamson 52 not out and Ross Taylor 47 not out. India had topped the league on 72.2 per cent, ahead of New Zealand on 70.0 and Australia on 69.2, and still lost the match that counted.
2023 — Australia beat India. Travis Head’s 163 and Steve Smith’s 121 put on 285 for the fourth wicket and Australia made 469. India were bowled out for 234 chasing 444. It completed the set for Australia, the only side to have won the World Cup, the Champions Trophy, the T20 World Cup and the World Test Championship.
2025 — South Africa beat Australia. Aiden Markram’s 136 carried a chase of 282 on a pitch where the ball dominated all week, Kagiso Rabada took nine wickets in the match, and Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs on the fourth morning. It was South Africa’s first senior men’s ICC trophy since the 1998 Champions Trophy.
For the full picture of who has held the trophy, including the years it was awarded on rankings rather than won in a final, see our list of every ICC Test mace winner.
The 2027 final
The 2025-27 final will be played at The Oval from Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 June 2027. It is the second time the ground has staged it after 2023, and it falls in the year Test cricket turns 150. England hold the hosting rights for the next three finals — 2027, 2029 and 2031 — with the ECB choosing the ground each time.
The final is scheduled for five days with a reserve day held back in case time is lost. If it is drawn, tied or abandoned, both teams are declared joint champions; there is no boundary count-back and no bonus for the side that finished top of the league.
What happens if two teams finish level
If sides end the league on the same points percentage, the order is decided by, in turn:
- the higher number of series wins;
- the higher points percentage from away matches only;
- the higher position in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings on 1 April 2027.
World Test Championship: quick answers
Who won the last World Test Championship? South Africa, beating Australia by five wickets at Lord’s on 14 June 2025.
Who has won the World Test Championship? New Zealand (2021), Australia (2023) and South Africa (2025). No side has won it twice.
Has India ever won it? No. India have reached two finals, in 2021 and 2023, and lost both.
How many points is a Test win worth? Twelve, with four for a draw and six for a tie.
When and where is the next final? The Oval, 9 to 13 June 2027.
New to the format? Our explainer on how Test cricket works covers the basics the championship is built on.
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Featured photo: AFP / Ian Kington