R65m from the Lotteries Commission to get South Africa ready for the 2027 Cricket World Cup
The grant will upgrade stadiums in six host provinces and pay for development projects in all nine, including Cricket South Africa's 70 hubs.
Cape Town — South Africa's National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has handed Cricket South Africa more than R65 million for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, the Western Cape government said. The grant was presented at Newlands in Cape Town on 7 October.
Where the money goes
- Stadium upgrades in the six South African provinces hosting matches
- Cricket development and legacy projects in all nine provinces, reaching young players, club cricket, coaches and Cricket South Africa's network of 70 hubs
It builds on R15 million the Western Cape government put into cricket facilities in April, split equally between Western Province Cricket and Cricket Boland, whose grounds at Newlands and Boland Park in Paarl are World Cup venues.
The tournament runs from 2 October to 21 November 2027 and is co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Newlands will stage the opening match and the first semi-final.
"The World Cup will last seven weeks, but its legacy must last a generation," said Ricardo Mackenzie, the province's minister of cultural affairs and sport, who recalled taking the train to Newlands as a boy to watch a 1995 Rugby World Cup match. Cricket South Africa's chief financial officer, Tjaart van der Walt, said the upgrades would serve players and supporters "long after the last over". The province is also looking at how its 373 public libraries could help young people learn about the game.
Source: Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, 9 October 2026.
