As someone who's spent decades around the game — first on the county circuit as a coach, and now analysing it from the outside — there are few days in the domestic calendar I look forward to more than Hundred finals day. The noise, the occasion, Lord's packed to the rafters. The 2026 edition is shaping up to be another cracker, and with the group stage now firmly behind us, attention is turning squarely to Sunday's double-header at cricket's most famous ground.
When and Where Are the Finals?
Both the men's and women's finals will be held at Lord's Cricket Ground in London on Sunday, 16 August. The women's final is scheduled to get underway at 14:15 BST, and assuming it runs its course, the men's final is expected to begin at around 18:00 BST. It's the same format The Hundred has used every year since its launch back in 2021 — a twilight double-header that makes for a genuinely brilliant day of cricket. If you're heading down to St John's Wood, factor in a full afternoon and evening.
Who Has Qualified?
The most eye-catching storyline heading into finals weekend is Trent Rockets' extraordinary form across both competitions. The Rockets sealed top spot in the women's group stage on Monday, meaning they go straight through to the final. On the men's side, they've done exactly the same — finishing first in the group to earn a direct passage to Sunday. A Trent Rockets clean sweep on finals day would be quite the achievement, and the bookmakers will already be adjusting their outright odds accordingly — expect the Rockets to be narrow favourites in both markets heading into the eliminators.
Standing between them and a fairytale double are the teams fighting it out in Friday's eliminator matches, both held at The Oval in London. In the women's competition, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds will battle for the right to face the Rockets. On the men's side, Manchester Super Giants and Sunrisers Leeds meet in what promises to be a tense knockout encounter. Lose on Friday and your season is over — there's no margin for error in an eliminator, and that pressure tends to produce fascinating cricket.
The Road to Finals Day
The Hundred now enters its sixth season of existence, having first lit up the summer of 2021. The competition format has remained consistent throughout — group stage matches followed by eliminators, with the top-placed side earning a safety net that the second and third-placed teams simply don't get. It's a format that rewards consistency across the campaign, and Trent Rockets have clearly embraced that challenge in 2026 more convincingly than anyone else.
For context on just how hard it is to win this competition, it's worth noting that MI London — formerly known as Oval Invincibles — claimed back-to-back men's titles in 2024 and 2025. Trent Rockets will be hoping to end that particular dynasty this weekend.
What to Look Out For
From a tactical standpoint, the team coming through the eliminators often has an edge in momentum — they've had a competitive match under their belts just 48 hours before the final, while the group-stage toppers have been resting. It's a factor coaches always weigh up, and I'd expect both Rockets sides to manage their squads carefully this week. Finals day at Lord's is never just about cricket, of course — it's an occasion — but the quality on show in The Hundred these days means the cricket itself more than lives up to the spectacle. Clear your Sunday diary.
