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The Rothesay County Championship will retain the same format in 2026 after a proposal to play a remodelled 13-game structure did not receive the required majority of votes to affect change.
Division One will continue to consist of 10 counties and Division Two of eight counties, with the same two-down, two-up of relegation and promotion also retained.
The decision follows a county-led review into the structure of the men’s county competitions.
The review, which was staged in consultation with the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), made proposals for changes to the County Championship, Vitality Blast men’s competition and Metro Bank One-Day Cup men’s competition.
The Professional County Cricket Clubs (PCCs) voted in July to alter format of the Vitality Blast men’s competition, and from next season it will be staged over 12 group-stage matches with counties moving into three groups of six.
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It will also be played before The Hundred in an effort to create a “better competition narrative,” with the men’s Finals Day confirmed for July 16, 2026 at Edgbaston.
The Metro Bank One-Day Cup men’s competition will also retain the same format, with each county playing eight group-stage matches in two groups of nine.
The changes were proposed in order to reduce the number of matches for players to protect their wellbeing, with the PCA first suggesting a reduction from 14 to 12 was “the only reasonable option”.
A Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) survey showed 83 per cent of its members held concerns about the physical impact of the schedule and two-thirds had worries from a mental-health standpoint.
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Counties have held discussions about changes to the calendar for next year, with Warwickshire seamer and PCA chair Olly Hannon-Dalby urging a reduction in the amount of red-ball cricket.
Middlesex, Somerset and Surrey supported the status quo of 14 matches, while Durham and Lancashire are in favour of a dozen games and a shake-up of the current two-division structure.
PCA figures further highlighted more than three-quarters of men’s players believe there is too much domestic cricket and 72 per cent feel the current programme is not conducive to high performance.
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