ACA explores Africa T20 Cup similar to Asia Cup

African cricket is moving toward a defining commercial moment. The Africa Cricket Association is actively exploring the creation of a continental T20 tournament modelled on the Asia Cup — a concept that could fundamentally alter the financial and competitive landscape of the game across the continent, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo.

Commercial ambition drives the push

The ACA, reconstituted last year with Tavengwa Mukuhlani — who also heads Zimbabwe Cricket — appointed as chair, is working through a set of proposals it considers financially viable. The motivation is straightforward: the association needs a sustainable revenue stream to fund its operations and drive cricket’s growth across Africa. A launch before 2027 is not expected, with two critical questions still unresolved — the scheduling window and the qualification structure.

South Africa’s availability is the central variable

The tournament’s viability hinges on one factor above all others — South Africa’s participation. As the continent’s strongest and most commercially attractive side, Cricket South Africa‘s involvement is essential to the competition’s credibility and revenue potential. According to ESPNcricinfo, CSA is supportive of the concept in principle but needs clarity in its calendar before it can commit to sending a full-strength squad.

That clarity will only come with the next Future Tours Programme, which is expected to be finalised at the next two ICC meetings and issued before November 2027. The new FTP will govern international scheduling for the following five years and is directly relevant to both South Africa and Zimbabwe as Full Members. Until it is in place, South Africa’s availability for a continental tournament remains uncertain.

A tri-series as an early building block

In the interim, a tri-series involving South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia is being discussed for August, provisionally set to inaugurate the Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls. The series is expected to be played in ODI format as all three nations prepare for the 2027 fifty-over World Cup, with a portion of proceeds directed toward the ACA — providing early financial momentum and serving as a curtain-raiser for the continental T20 concept.

Regional cooperation as the foundation

The ACA’s ambitions are being built on a foundation of improving regional relationships, with South Africa’s engagement across the continent having grown considerably over the past year. South Africa played two Tests in Zimbabwe in mid-2025 — their first red-ball visit in eleven years — and have since extended their regional footprint further. That shift in posture matters enormously for the Africa T20 Cup: with South Africa and Zimbabwe both holding Full Member status, their combined presence transforms the tournament from a regional exercise into a commercially meaningful competition. The 2027 ODI World Cup, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, has further cemented that trilateral cooperation and created a practical framework within which the ACA’s continental vision can take root.

A competition whose time may be approaching

The Africa T20 Cup remains a work in progress, with scheduling and qualification questions still to be resolved. But the combination of renewed regional engagement, a shared World Cup platform, and a reconstituted ACA leadership with a clear commercial mandate suggests the conditions for such a tournament are more favourable now than they have been at any point in recent memory. How quickly those conditions translate into a fixture on the international calendar will depend, in large part, on what the next FTP makes possible for South Africa.

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