Victoria Falls joins 2027 World Cup venue list

Cricket's biggest spectacle is heading back to Africa after a 24-years wait, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirming the 12 official venues for the 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup on Friday. 

Adding a fresh layer of excitement to the tournament, Zimbabwe's iconic Victoria Falls will make its World Cup debut as the newly constructed Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium hosts matches for the first time.

The 14-team, 50-over tournament will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November 2027, marking Africa's return as the stage for the game's showpiece event since the 2003 edition.

South Africa, the main host, will stage matches at eight venues: the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, SuperSport Park in Centurion, Newlands in Cape Town, Kingsmead in Durban, St George's Park in Gqeberha, Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, Boland Park in Paarl and Buffalo Park in East London, according to Cricinfo.

Zimbabwe will host matches at Harare Sports Club, Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo and the brand-new Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls. Namibia's sole venue will be the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek.

While the full fixture list is yet to be released, ESPNcricinfo reported that South Africa will host the bulk of the tournament's 57 matches. Zimbabwe is expected to stage 10 matches, with Namibia likely to host three, the ICC mentioned.

Among the announced venues, Victoria Falls stands out as the tournament's newest attraction. Nestled close to one of the world's most breathtaking natural wonders, the 10,000-seat Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium is still under construction. Still, it is expected to be completed later this year.

The Chevrons plan to inaugurate the venue before the end of 2026, with international matches scheduled to begin in early 2027 as part of the country's preparations for the World Cup.

The 2027 Cricket World Cup will also be played under a revised format approved at the ICC Annual General Meeting, with 14 teams competing for the coveted trophy.

Welcoming the announcement, ICC Chairman Jay Shah described the confirmation of the host venues as a major milestone on the road to the World Cup.

"This marks an exciting milestone on the road to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027. The unveiling of the host cities and the tournament brand signals the start of a journey that will unite fans around the world and build anticipation for one of our sport's biggest global events."

The last time Africa hosted the Cricket World Cup was in 2003, when South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya shared hosting duties, nearly a quarter of a century later.