County cricket
The One-Day Cup is England's domestic 50-over competition, played by all 18 first-class counties from late July to September. It runs alongside The Hundred, so many top players are missing and team news matters more than in almost any other competition. This hub covers the format, English conditions, the key markets and every winner since 2014.
Updated By Rohan Mehta, Head of Cricket
2026 champions
Middlesex
Beat Leicestershire by 31 runs at Trent Bridge on 20 September 2026. From 71 for five, Ryan Higgins' maiden List A hundred and a 135-run stand with Harry Duke took them to 231, enough for their first List A trophy in 36 years.
Not online for real money. The Online Gaming Act 2025 bans online money games, which covers betting on county cricket. Free prediction games are allowed, and so is following our picks for fun. Our guide to betting law in India explains the Act.
Predictions
There are no One-Day Cup picks on the board right now. The same 50-over thinking applies to international ODIs, and these are the next ones on our calendar.
Australia tour of South Africa, 2026 · 3rd ODI
· 19:30 ISTSenwes Park, Potchefstroom
3 games remain after this, so a win would give South Africa the upper hand in the series.
Our pick
South Africa to win
Fair odds
1.69
Season review
The competition ran from 21 July to 20 September 2026. The two group winners, Leicestershire and Middlesex, both made the final, where Middlesex recovered from 71 for five to win by 31 runs at Trent Bridge.
Format
The 18 counties are split into two groups of nine and play eight group matches each. Group winners go straight to the semi-finals, and the next-placed counties play quarter-finals for the other two places.
01
Two groups of nine. Each county plays the other eight in its group once.
02
The next-placed counties in each group play off for two semi-final places.
03
The two group winners wait here, having skipped the quarter-finals.
04
A single match for the trophy. The 2026 final was played at Trent Bridge.
2026 Group A
2026 Group B
The two competitions overlap in August, and many of England's best white-ball players are away with Hundred sides. Counties fill the gaps with academy and second-team players, so a county that looks strong on paper can be much weaker on the day. Prices set on reputation often miss that, which makes the team sheet the most important thing to check.
Conditions
Cloud cover in the morning helps seam bowlers, rain brings DLS into play, and pitches dry out as the summer goes on. Smaller outgrounds also push totals up when counties move games away from their main venues.
Our angles
Who is missing comes first, then the conditions, then whether either county still has something to play for late in the group stage.
Many first-choice players are away at The Hundred. Counties with deep academy systems cope better, and their odds rarely reflect it.
Morning starts under cloud help seam bowlers. The side batting first on a green pitch can lose early wickets and fall short of par.
Late in the group stage, counties already out of contention may rest players. Motivation is worth factoring in.
Markets
Match winner and the runs handicap are the main markets. Top team batter, total fours and innings runs reward bettors who check the squads and the ground before the toss.
Wait for the team sheets. A county missing four players to The Hundred is not the side its name suggests.
Useful when one side is clearly stronger on the day. Check both squads before trusting the line.
Openers and the No. 3 face the most balls. A young batter promoted into a gap can be overpriced.
Small outgrounds and quick outfields push it up. Damp mornings and big boundaries pull it down.
Set your number from the ground and the forecast, not last season's average for the county.
History
Twelve titles have gone to eleven different counties since 2014. Glamorgan are the only county to win it twice, in 2021 and 2024. The competition was not held in 2020.
Rohan Mehta leads our cricket desk and its domestic coverage. Read his profile to see how he builds a pick.
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Middlesex |
| 2025 | Worcestershire |
| 2024 | Glamorgan |
| 2023 | Leicestershire |
| 2022 | Kent |
| 2021 | Glamorgan |
| 2019 | Somerset |
| 2018 | Hampshire |
| 2017 | Nottinghamshire |
| 2016 | Warwickshire |
| 2015 | Gloucestershire |
| 2014 | Durham |
Further reading
Guides from the cricket desk that apply directly to 50-over county matches.
What readers ask most about England's 50-over county competition, The Hundred and the law in India.
In the second half of the English summer. The 2026 competition ran from 21 July to 20 September, overlapping with The Hundred in August.
Middlesex. They beat Leicestershire by 31 runs in the final at Trent Bridge on 20 September 2026, after Ryan Higgins made his maiden List A hundred. It was Middlesex's first List A trophy in 36 years.
All 18 first-class counties, split into two groups of nine. Each county plays eight group matches, one against every other side in its group.
The two group winners go straight to the semi-finals. The next-placed counties in each group play quarter-finals for the other two semi-final places, and the winners of the semis meet in the final.
The two competitions overlap, so many of the best white-ball players in England are away with Hundred sides. Counties field younger squads, and the gap between teams on paper can be much smaller than their names suggest.
Glamorgan, with two titles in 2021 and 2024. Every other winner since 2014 has won it once, which shows how open the competition is.
Morning starts under cloud help seam bowlers, so the side batting first on a green pitch can lose early wickets. Rain brings DLS into play, and late-season pitches in September tend to be drier and slower.
Not online for real money. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 bans online money games across India, which covers betting on county cricket. Free prediction games with no money at stake are allowed.
Still unsure? Ask our team
18+ only. Betting involves financial risk.
County cricket gets less coverage than international matches, so be honest about how much you really know before you stake on it. Set a limit first and use the tools in our responsible gambling guide to stay in control.
Predictions, fixtures and the guides that explain how cricket markets work.
