By Admin 
The teams of New Zealand and South Africa will face each other in the first semi-final match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. So far, a total of 19 matches have been played between these two teams in T20 International.
The first semi-final match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be held between New Zealand and South Africa on Wednesday i.e. March 4. This match will be played at Eden Gardens, the historic ground of Kolkata. South Africa has remained undefeated in this tournament so far. On the other hand, New Zealand team was successful in making it to the semi-finals due to better net run rate. There was a match between these two teams in the group round, in which South Africa defeated New Zealand by 7 wickets.
How many times have New Zealand and South Africa come face to face?
The first T20 International match between New Zealand and South Africa took place in the year 2005. New Zealand had won that match. Since then, 19 T20 International matches have been played between the two teams, in which South Africa has won 12 matches, while New Zealand has won only 7 matches. However, if we talk about the last 5 T20 International matches, New Zealand has the upper hand by 3-2. For this reason, a tough competition is expected between the two teams in the semi-finals.
Which team has the upper hand in the T20 World Cup?
In the history of the T20 World Cup, the issue between New Zealand and South Africa has been one-sided. South Africa has won all the 5 matches played so far in this tournament. The Proteas team won by 6 wickets in 2007, by one run in 2009, by 12 runs in 2010, by 2 runs in 2014 and by 7 wickets in 2026. However, none of these matches have been in the knockout. Both the teams will face each other for the first time in the knockout of the T20 World Cup.
Both the teams have not been able to win the T20 World Cup trophy
New Zealand has participated in all the editions of the T20 World Cup, in which the Kiwi team has been out of the semi-finals thrice and lost in the final once. The South African team has also not been successful in winning this tournament yet. The Proteas team has reached the semi-finals for the fourth time, whereas in the years 2009 and 2014 it had lost in the semi-finals, while in the year 2024 it had to face defeat in the title match against India.