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Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, recently lay the cornerstone for a massive cricket stadium close to Victoria Falls, a popular tourist destination. After it’s finished, the stadium will undoubtedly rank among the world’s most attractive cricket grounds.
The 10,000-seat stadium, which will be known as the Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, will play host to international tournaments in 2026 and 2027. Together with Namibia, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) will co-host the Under-19 World Cup in 2026. South Africa will join the two nations to host the coveted 2027 World Cup.
Ten hectares of land have been set aside by the Zimbabwean government for the project, which is supposedly going to be funded by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Estimates for the construction project range from $5 to $10 million, however the ICC has stated that no further funds will be given for any particular project. There will be other sports played at Victoria Falls Stadium, including rugby, hockey, and netball, according to reports.
“The location of this stadium in this city will undoubtedly contribute to the speedy attainment of tourism sector targets and towards our national development aspirations as outlined in the National Development Strategy Vision 2030,” President Mnangagwa said while laying the foundation stone.
“As Zimbabwe Cricket, we are the first to admit that our stadiums are no longer adequate, we had to lock out some fans during the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers but that’s not what we want to do. We want to have as many people to access our grounds and we want their experience to be awesome when they come into the grounds.
“So work is already underway and as you are aware, we will be co-hosting the 2027 men’s World Cup and before that, we are also hosting the next edition of the Under 19 World Cup together with Namibia, so these are massive tournaments and we are working to improve our facilities for more global tournaments,” ZC media and communication manager Darlington Majonga was quoted in the Coliseum website as saying.
“Work is progressing very well, a lot of earthmoving has been happening. The levelling of the academy pitch and the main pitch is progressing very well. The facility has been fenced, a site establishment has also been done, boreholes have been drilled, and a water reservoir has also been established. There is good progress so far, we are impressed by what is on the ground,” ZC managing director Givemore Makoni was quoted in an FB post recently.
Zimbabwean cricket is currently at its lowest point, having failed to qualify for consecutive 50-over World Cups in 2019 and 2023. They also missed out on the recent T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies, having been upended by Uganda, a lesser-known cricketing nation.