T20 World Cup 2026 1st SemiFinal, New Zealand vs South Africa: When it comes to rivalry in cricket, the name of India-Pakistan comes at the top. So far 9 matches have been played between the two teams in the T20 World Cup, in which India has won 8 times and Pakistan has been successful only once. This time also India maintained its dominance. But there is another such pair in this tournament, where one team has always completely dominated the other and that is South Africa vs New Zealand.
The first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026 will be between South Africa and New Zealand, which will be played on March 4 at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata from 7 pm. To defeat South Africa in this match, New Zealand will also have to clash with the history of T20 World Cup. In fact, in the history of the T20 World Cup, there have been 5 matches between the two teams so far and the Proteas have won every time. New Zealand has not got a chance to defeat South Africa even once.
This series of defeats is so long that for New Zealand this semi-final has become not just a match but an opportunity for historical revenge. Black Caps have experienced players, who will try to break the tag of Choke this time. But the South African team is looking in strong form in this tournament. He is consistently performing well and his record against New Zealand makes him a favourite. The Proteas are also the only team not to lose a single match in this edition.
The first clash between South Africa and New Zealand in the T20 World Cup took place in the year 2007. In that match, South Africa won by 6 wickets. After this, both the teams came face to face in the 2009 T20 World Cup, when South Africa won by just 1 run. In 2010 also, the Kiwi team lost by 13 runs. After this, South Africa also won the match played in the 2014 T20 World Cup by 2 runs. At the same time, these teams also clashed in the group stage of the 2026 T20 World Cup. This time also Africa won the match by 7 wickets. Now these teams are ready to face each other in the semi-finals.
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