Namibia to inaugurate new cricket stadium with one-off T20I against South Africa

‌Namibia will play South Africa in a one-off T20I to officially inaugurate the FNB Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek on October 11. This will also be the first meeting between the two sides in a bilateral setup outside of the ICC events.

The new venue will be Cricket Namibia’s first official stadium and is set to host matches during the U-19 Men’s World Cup in 2026 and the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2027. Namibia will be the co-hosts alongside Zimbabwe for the Junior World Cup while the senior event will also see South Africa join the hosting party with the two nations.

The Namibian cricket team will now play all its home matches at this stadium, shifting out of the Wanderers, also in Windhoek, which is a club ground. The venue, which has been under construction since 2021, will have a capacity of 7000 and will also be home to Namibia’s high-performance centre.

"This truly is a memorable occasion," Johann Muller, Cricket Namibia CEO, said in a statement. "The new ground has been a dream for the last four years and has finally materialised. A match against our neighbours, and one of the top cricketing countries in the world, is the perfect way to open this world-class facility."

"We are honoured to be part of this historic occasion," Pholesti Moseki, CSA CEO, said. "Namibia are a competitive side, and this fixture reflects the growing strength of cricket on the continent. As a fellow African cricketing nation and the host of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, we are proud to support the official opening of this new cricket ground, which will be one of the host venues of the tournament."