The Future Tours Programme: How International Cricket Fixtures Are Scheduled
What the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) is and why it exists — the bilateral scheduling mechanism that governs which Test-playing nations tour which others and when, how the FTP balances commercial interests, player welfare, and cricket development, why some bilateral tours are more commercially significant than others, and the tensions between FTP obligations and franchise T20 leagues.
What the FTP Is
The ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) is a rolling schedule (typically covering 4-year cycles) that determines which ICC Full Member nations tour which other nations and in what format during the cycle. Each bilateral series within the FTP specifies the host nation, the visiting nation, the format (Tests, ODIs, T20Is), the number of matches in each format, and the approximate date window. The FTP is administered by the ICC in consultation with member boards and aims to ensure that all Full Members host and tour each other regularly, distributing broadcast revenues, maintaining Test cricket's bilateral tradition, and creating the baseline of matches from which the ICC World Test Championship and ODI Super League are contested.
Commercial Tensions in the FTP
Not all bilateral tours in the FTP are commercially equal. India tours of Australia, England tours of Australia (The Ashes), and India home Tests are the most commercially significant fixtures — broadcast rights for these series command premiums many times larger than tours involving smaller cricket nations. This commercial hierarchy creates tensions in FTP scheduling: the BCCI (India's cricket board) has historically negotiated for more Tests at home (highest revenue) and resisted away tours that conflict with the IPL calendar. Some smaller nations (Afghanistan, Ireland, Zimbabwe) receive less bilateral series time in the FTP because the commercial return is lower. The FTP attempts to balance these inequalities through ICC requirements that all Full Members host each other at minimum frequencies.
Franchise T20 vs FTP Conflict
The global growth of franchise T20 leagues — IPL, PSL, Big Bash, SA20, the Hundred — has created a structural conflict with FTP scheduling. Franchise leagues pay players directly and command significant portions of the cricketing calendar (especially April-May for IPL). FTP scheduled bilateral tours that fall in the IPL window lose their best players from England, Australia, and other nations to IPL contracts, weakening touring sides. The ICC's response has been to move some FTP windows away from the IPL peak and to negotiate with member boards for FTP matches to take priority over franchise leagues in certain circumstances. The conflict between global franchise T20 revenue and traditional bilateral cricket is one of the defining tensions in 21st-century cricket administration.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance is the FTP scheduled?
The FTP typically covers a 4-year rolling cycle, with specific fixtures confirmed approximately 18-24 months in advance at the series level (dates, venues, format). The current FTP cycle structure tends to be planned to align with ICC major event cycles (the WTC, ODI Super League, T20 World Cups). In practice, precise match dates are finalised much closer to the tour — venue bookings, broadcast schedules, and player availability are all confirmed nearer to the tour period. The ICC publishes the broad FTP framework years in advance, but specific series dates are refined annually.
What happens if a series in the FTP cannot be fulfilled?
If a scheduled FTP series cannot be fulfilled (due to political tensions, security situations, player unavailability, or external events like the COVID-19 pandemic), the ICC typically requires the affected boards to reschedule the series within a reasonable timeframe or negotiate a compensatory arrangement. The COVID-19 pandemic created significant FTP disruptions from 2020-2022, with many scheduled tours postponed, cancelled, or restructured. Some nations played reduced series (2-match series instead of 3-match) to fit rescheduled windows. The FTP has no absolute enforcement mechanism — member boards must agree on reschedules, and the ICC mediates disputes. Persistent non-compliance with FTP obligations can be raised at ICC board level.
Do associate nations have access to the FTP?
Associate ICC members (nations not yet Full Member status — such as USA, Canada, Scotland, Namibia) are not included in the FTP bilateral schedule, which is exclusively for Full Members (12 nations as of 2023: Australia, England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Ireland). Associates compete in ICC-administered tournaments (T20 World Cup qualifying, ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier) and bilateral series arranged independently by their boards, but these do not appear in the FTP. Attaining Full Member status (by meeting ICC cricketing and governance thresholds) is the pathway to FTP inclusion.