Cricket fans among Namibia holidaymakers have the opportunity to experience future world stars of the British wicket game up close. Eight of the world's 16 best national under-19 cricket teams are visiting Windhoek. Namibia and Zimbabwe are hosting the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026 from 15 January to 6 February.
16 of the 41 World Cup matches will take place in Windhoek. The remaining 25 matches, including the semi-finals and the final, will be played in Bulawayo and Harare. The ICC Cricket Under-19 World Champion will be crowned on 6 February.
Eight national teams will compete in Groups A and D in Windhoek. These include defending champion Australia, South Africa, Tanzania, the West Indies, Afghanistan, Japan, and Ireland. Namibia is not participating, nor is Zimbabwe. Both national teams failed to qualify for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
Tomorrow at noon, the day before the tournament begins, Namibian cricket fans will officially welcome the national teams to Windhoek. A parade will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Independence Avenue, from John Meinert Street to Ausspannplatz. "Bring your Namibian flags, pom-poms, and vuvuzelas," posted the Windhoek Municipality's tourism department.
Cricket is popular in Namibia
After football, rugby, and inline hockey, cricket is among the top five most popular team sports in Namibia. From 1915 until independence in 1990, Namibia was under South African administration. In 1990, it joined the Commonwealth. In 2027, Namibia, along with its neighbors South Africa and Zimbabwe, will host the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.
Media such as Namibian Broadcasting Corporation NBC, Namibian, New Era, Informanté, and Desert Radio have been reporting on the U-19 World Cup since last week. Warm-up matches have been underway for four days already (see also the Facebook page of Cricket Namibia).
The 16 matches are being played at two stadiums in Windhoek: the Namibia Cricket Ground and the 'High Performance Oval'. The top three teams from Groups A and D will qualify for the 'Super Six' round. The top two teams from the 'Super Six' in Namibia and Zimbabwe will compete in the semi-finals.
India and Australia are the clear favorites with five and four World Cup titles respectively (see also the International Cricket Council (ICC) website). They are followed by Pakistan with two titles, and South Africa, the West Indies, Bangladesh, and England with one title each. This is the 16th edition of the ICC Cricket Under-19 World Cup.
Overview of the 16 matches of the ICC Cricket Under-19 World Cup, that will take place in Windhoek. Graphic: Post on Cricket Namibia's Facebook page
.png?width=82&height=85&name=Navigate%20Namibia-03%20(1).png "Navigate Namibia")
SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT