Cricket World Cup 2027: Host cities in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia unveiled

Here's what the confirmed venues mean for travellers planning a Southern African cricket adventure. 

The countdown to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027 has taken another major step, with the official host cities and stadiums now confirmed across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

For travellers, this is more than just a sporting event. It is an opportunity to combine world-class cricket with some of Southern Africa's most iconic destinations, from the vineyards of the Cape Winelands and the beaches of Durban to the wildlife of Victoria Falls and the deserts of Namibia.

The tournament marks the return of the Men's Cricket World Cup to Africa for the first time in 24 years, following the memorable 2003 edition co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

The Cricket World Cup 2027 host venues

South Africa

South Africa will host matches at eight venues:

• Wanderers Stadium – Johannesburg
• SuperSport Park – Centurion (Tshwane)
• Newlands Cricket Ground – Cape Town
• Kingsmead Cricket Ground – Durban
• St George's Park – Gqeberha
• Mangaung Oval – Bloemfontein
• Boland Park – Paarl
• Buffalo Park – KuGompo City (formerly East London)

Each destination offers something different for visitors. Cape Town combines cricket with spectacular scenery, Johannesburg provides easy access to the country's largest transport hub, Durban offers subtropical beaches and Indian Ocean cuisine, while Paarl is perfectly placed for exploring the Cape Winelands.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe will stage matches at:

• Harare Sports Club – Harare
• Queens Sports Club – Bulawayo
• Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium – Victoria Falls

For international visitors, Victoria Falls is likely to be one of the tournament's biggest drawcards. Watching World Cup cricket before or after visiting one of the world's greatest natural wonders could become one of the standout travel experiences of 2027.

Namibia

Namibia will make history by hosting its first senior ICC tournament, with matches taking place at:

• Namibia Cricket Ground – Windhoek

Windhoek also serves as the gateway to many of Namibia's top attractions, including the Namib Desert, Etosha National Park and the Skeleton Coast, making it easy to extend a cricket trip into a memorable self-drive holiday.

A new tournament format

The 2027 Cricket World Cup will feature 14 teams competing across 57 matches.

The competition introduces a new three-stage format designed to keep more matches meaningful throughout the tournament:

• A Super Series involving the teams ranked 12th to 14th, with one side progressing.
• A first round featuring 12 teams divided into two groups of six.
• A Super 7 stage involving the best-performing teams, followed by the semi-finals and final.

The revised structure aims to create more competitive fixtures while maintaining high stakes throughout the tournament.

Why this matters for travellers

With matches spread across 12 venues in three countries, fans will have plenty of opportunities to turn the World Cup into a multi-country Southern African adventure.

Many host cities are connected by direct flights, making it relatively straightforward to combine destinations such as Cape Town and Johannesburg, continue to Victoria Falls, or finish with a road trip through Namibia.

Demand for flights, accommodation and car hire is expected to increase significantly once the full match schedule is released. Travellers planning to attend should keep an eye on fixture announcements and consider booking early, particularly for popular destinations such as Cape Town, Durban and Victoria Falls.

Looking ahead

The tournament will be played under the theme "Three Nations, One Heartbeat", highlighting the shared hospitality and diversity of the three host nations.

For cricket supporters, it promises to be one of the biggest sporting events ever staged in Southern Africa. For travellers, it offers an excellent reason to discover—or rediscover—some of the region's most fascinating cities, landscapes and attractions while enjoying world-class international cricket.

As soon as the full match schedule, ticket sales and travel information are announced, we'll publish further updates here on the blog to help you plan your Cricket World Cup 2027 adventure.

 

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Zimbabwe builds a new stadium in Victoria Falls for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup!

update (24 April 2026) 

Construction of the new Mosi-oa-Tunya Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls is said to be 80% complete and progressing steadily, with Zimbabwe Cricket targeting completion ahead of the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which Zimbabwe will co-host with South Africa and Namibia. The 10,000-seat international venue—set to become Zimbabwe’s first fully owned world-class cricket stadium—has already seen major groundwork completed, including the planting of the main pitch, installation of irrigation systems, and the shaping of grass embankments. Current work is focused on the players’ pavilion, media centre, water supply, electricity infrastructure, and other essential facilities needed for international match hosting. While the stadium is not yet operational and remains a construction site rather than a visitor attraction, officials remain confident it will be match-ready by August 2026, positioning Victoria Falls as a future major sports tourism and cricket destination in Southern Africa.  

update (21 November 2025): Three Men On a Boat (kudos!) realeased a video update on the progress of theMosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls about a month ago.

update (06 October 2025): According to ESPN cricinfo (on 25 August 2025), the (Fale) Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls is scheduled to be ready by August 2026 and is expected to host matches in the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup. The website further reports that the stadium has already had the main pitch planted, irrigation installed, and grass embankments completed. Work is now being done on the players' pavilion and media centre, as well as with the water and power supply infrastructure. 

update (22 August 2025): The Cabinet of Zimbabwe reported in early August 2025 that construction of the Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls is progressing well, with the media centre and training pitch now 50 percent and 40 percent complete, respectively. 

update (21 March 2025): Earlier this month, the Zimbabwe Cricket Managing Director, Givemore Makoni, announced significant progress at the Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls. Most of the groundwork has been completed. The new stadium is set to be finished in time for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup.

update (22 July 2024): Construction has begun on the Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls. According to Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) managing director Givemore Makoni has confirmed that civil works, including water works and fencing, are underway. 

update (27 May 2024): Worth reading!  > "Concerns grow over costs and impacts of controversial Victoria Falls Cricket Stadium proposal" 

Zimbabwe is set to build a new multi-purpose stadium in Victoria Falls. According to the 14th post-cabinet briefing 2024, Zimbabwe Cricket, the national governing body for competitive cricket in Zimbabwe, was allocated 10 hectares of land for the construction of an (international cricket) stadium and ancillary facilities in the Masuwe Special Economic Zone for Tourism in Victoria Falls. The new stadium will be used in the hosting of the 2026 ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup, which will be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia, and the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. According to news repots from Zimbabwe, the country's President Emerson Mnangagwa is expected to lay the foundation stone on the site of the new stadium on 23 May 2024. The stadium is expected to be completed in August 2025. The venue will seat 10,000 and will also be able to host other sports such as rugby, tennis, hockey, and squash We'll keep you posted!

Cricket: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia to host the Men's Cricket World Cup 2027!

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the host nations for every major ICC men's limited overs event between 2024 and 2031. In October/November 2027, Namibia will host the Men’s Cricket World Cup alongside Zimbabwe and South Africa. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya co-hosted the Cricket World Cup in 2003, the first to be hosted in Africa. It will be the first time that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region hosts a global cricket tournament and incidentally, this will be the first-time such games will be staged in Namibia.
The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup ("Cricket World Cup") is the international championship of One Day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), every four years.

Photo by Alessandro Bogliari on Unsplash

Host nations for men's ICC events (2024 - 2031):

• Men's T20 World Cup 2024: USA and West Indies (June)
• Men's Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan (February)
• Men's T20 World Cup 2026: India and Sri Lanka (February)
• Men's Cricket World Cup 2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia (October/November)
• Men's T20 World Cup 2028: Australia and New Zealand (October)
• Men's Champions Trophy 2029: India (October)
• Men's T20 World Cup 2030: England, Scotland and Ireland (June)
• Men's Cricket World Cup 2031: India and Bangladesh (October/November)