The 2018 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup was an international limited-overs cricket tournament that was held in New Zealand from 13 January to 3 February 2018. It was the twelfth edition of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and the third to be held in New Zealand (after the 2002 and 2010 events). New Zealand was the first country to host the event three times. The opening ceremony took place on 7 January 2018. The West Indies were the defending champions. However, they failed to defend their title, after losing their first two group fixtures.