Hampshire Hawks white-ball competition changes confirmed for 2026

Hampshire Hawks Men will compete in Group C alongside Essex, Kent Spitfires, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex Sharks when the Vitality Blast returns to a three-group format from 2026.

The Professional County Clubs have agreed to reduce group-stage matches from 14 to 12, with Hampshire playing each group opponent home and away (10 matches) plus one home and one away fixture against counties from the other two groups.

The competition will feature quarter-finals, made up of the top two teams in each group and the best two third-placed teams, and Vitality Blast Finals Day taking place before The Hundred.

Hampshire's womens teams will remain in Tier 1 of both the women's Vitality Blast and Metro Bank One-Day Cup alongside Bears, Durham, Essex, Lancashire Thunder, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze and Yorkshire.

The women's Vitality Blast will reduce from 14 to 12 group-stage matches, whilst the women's Metro Bank One-Day Cup increases from 14 to 16 matches - meaning Hampshire will play each Tier 1 opponent home and away in the One-Day Cup.

The changes take effect from the 2026 season, with discussions on County Championship format continuing separately.