2026 Club World Series to be held in South Africa

The launch event of the Club World Series yesterday evening brought a number of major announcements with respect to the indoor cricket landscape.

The first key development was the selection of South Africa as the host for the fourth instalment of the tournament in 2026. This will extend the number of countries which will host the event to three.

The selection is a coup for the Rainbow Nation, who last hosted a major international tournament in 2019 when the Masters World Series was held in Cape Town. Whilst Johannesburg was originally slated to host the 2023 Junior World Series, logistical discussions held by the World Indoor Cricket Federation at the time meant the tournament was moved to Dubai instead.

It will also mark the first time the tournament will be hosted outside of Asia, with Dubai and Colombo the other locations the competition has taken place thus far.

The decision is also linked to U-Pro’s investment in South African indoor cricket. A major sponsor of the South Africa Men’s Team which participated in the Tri-Series in Adelaide last September against Australia and New Zealand, the indoor sports conglomerate already has an arena in Pretoria.

The Fourways Arena in Johannesburg is also being touted as an option, as the Fourways Falcons and Wolves have taken part in all three Club World Series editions to date. To that effect, U-Pro Managing Director said a multi-venue tournament is being explored, cost permitting.

“The plan is for the Club World Series to be held across two neighbouring cities, being Pretoria and Johannesburg. U-Pro already has a centre in Pretoria and is exploring the use of Fourways in Johannesburg. A final decision will be made based on logistics and costs to ensure no extra burden on players,” said Kishore.

Dates have not been confirmed for the tournament yet, however, with the first three editions having been held on or around early to mid-April, it is expected that similar dates are put in place for 2026.

Images: U-Pro