Queensland Cricket bosses have demanded the state government commit to a stadia strategy after Cricket Australia confirmed the Gabba would not host a Test match during the 2026/27 summer.

On Sunday afternoon, CA unveiled its allocation of men’s international hosting rights over the next seven seasons, confirming the iconic Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests would remain at the MCG and SCG respectively until 2030/31.

However, CA revealed the Gabba was only guaranteed Test cricket hosting rights for the next two years, with “discussions about future international cricket in Queensland ongoing”.

Earlier on Sunday, Chair of Queensland Cricket Kirsten Pike and Queensland Cricket chief executive Terry Svenson penned an open letter confirming Brisbane would not host Test cricket in 2026/27, a first since 1976/77.

The four-Test series between Australia and New Zealand in 2026/27 will be played in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

The Gabba will host the third Test of this season’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the second Test of next summer’s Ashes series, which will be a day-night fixture.

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Earlier this year, Queensland Premier Steven Miles abandoned a $2.7 billion plan to rebuild the Gabba for the 2032 Olympics, instead sharing those funds across multiple Brisbane venues for upgrades.

Amid ongoing debate around stadiums in the Queensland capital, Pike and Svenson called for a “definitive commitment” from the state government on a new fit-for-purpose stadium, claiming the indicision has “resulted in direct and indirect changes to how we proceed with our business”.

“Major stadiums in other states are now considered more commercially attractive and fanfriendly to host cricket compared to the Gabba,” the open letter stated.

“It is deeply disappointing that the 2026/27 Gabba Test has become a casualty of the uncertainty around the infrastructure planning and development ahead of the 2032 Olympic preparations, specifically around the Gabba.

“The lack of detail about timings, promised improvements, and actual investment in the Gabba is driving uncertainty and is likely to continue to affect our operations until it is addressed.

“And while not being unduly alarmist, the potential outcome of this continuing uncertainty could have a significant impact on participation statewide and fan engagement across men’s and women’s cricket.

“While we acknowledge that there are other economic and social issues at play, at a very minimum we strongly urge Government to bring certainty to the development of a fit-for-purpose stadium for the long term.

“We urge our leaders to be bold, innovative, and focused on the long term.”

Hobart’s new closed-roof stadium, which is scheduled open in 2029, provides an additional threat to future of Test cricket at the Gabba.

Meanwhile, the MCG will host a Sesquicentenary Test between Australia and England in March 2027 to celebrate of the 150th anniversary of the first Test match.

Adelaide Oval has been guaranteed pre-Christmas Tests in December for the next seven seasons, while Perth Stadium will host the first men’s Test of each summer until 2026/27.

CA also guaranteed one men’s white-ball international fixture at the Gabba and Perth Stadium for the next two and three summers respectively.

“We are delighted to confirm long-term hosting rights which provide certainty around the locations of some fantastic cricket over the next seven years,” CA chief executive Nick Hockley said in a statement.

“We are confident this schedule ensures the best cricket will be played in the best venues at the right times across the country, including a fantastic mix of iconic Test matches, new blockbusters such as The West Test and Christmas Test and exciting day-night fixtures.

“Ensuring that cities across Australia get the best possible fixtures at the times they want is a challenging task – but we believe this plan delivers a fantastic schedule for cricket fans.

“We are enormously grateful for the strong support of State and Territory Governments and venue operators who will help us to deliver brilliant experiences across the country and maximise economic impact from these major events.

“The 150th anniversary Test Match at the MCG in March 2027, will be a wonderful celebration of the pinnacle format of the game at one of the world’s great sporting arenas and we can’t wait to host England on that historic occasion.”