Six-Team Africa T20 Cup in Works as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia Eye Tri-Series

A new T20 tournament for African nations is being planned, with cricket officials working on a proposed six-team Africa Cup that would include South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

As part of the initial rollout, a T20 tri-series featuring South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia is expected to be held in Namibia in August, serving as an early step toward the larger continental event.

According to reports, the proposal was discussed during the recent ICC Africa Regional Conference in Namibia. The long-term vision is to launch a six-team Africa Cup built around the continent’s leading sides, including Full Members South Africa and Zimbabwe, along with Namibia, which is currently among the higher-ranked teams in T20I cricket.

The remaining three spots in the proposed competition are expected to be decided through a qualification process. While there had been discussion around a larger tournament with as many as 10 teams, a six-team format is now seen as the more practical option.

The first full edition of the Africa Cup is not expected to take place this year. Instead, the tri-series involving the three World Cup co-hosts for next year’s ODI event is likely to act as a soft launch for the concept. The series is also being viewed as a tournament that could eventually become an annual event.

The involvement of South Africa and Zimbabwe is considered crucial to the commercial success of the project, with officials looking to create a more marketable African cricket event built around the continent’s biggest teams.

There has been interest for years in developing a major continental white-ball competition in Africa, especially as other regions continue to benefit from similar models.

Officials are believed to be looking closely at the success of the Asia Cup, which has become one of the most valuable regional tournaments in cricket. Smaller teams in Asia, including Oman and the UAE, have gained useful exposure by competing against top sides in that event.

Africa previously had a T20 Africa Cup between 2022 and 2024, but that competition only involved Associate members and was later paused due to financial and sponsorship issues.

At the same time, plans to revive the Afro-Asia Cup appear to have slowed. The cross-continental event, which was previously held in 2005 and 2007, featured an Asian XI against an African XI and included players from major teams such as Pakistan and India.

However, scheduling challenges and an increasingly crowded international calendar have made a return difficult, particularly with limited space for major teams.