The past week has seen widespread outcry over the New Year’s Test between the Proteas and England at Newlands, with many fans feeling they were left out in the cold when it came to ticket sales.
Critics have suggested that tickets were reserved for England fans as part of a money-making scheme, leaving Cricket South Africa (CSA) with a lot of explaining to do. Initially, 12% of general access tickets were allocated to international travel packages, while 27% went to domestic travel packages. However, it remains unclear how local fans were unable to get their hands on tickets so quickly.
Update on the Newlands Test Ticket Situation
CSA has acknowledged the frustration experienced by fans who were unable to secure tickets for the upcoming New Year’s Test, scheduled to take place at Newlands Cricket Ground from 3-7 January. Demand for this year’s New Year’s Test tickets has been unprecedented, highlighting the significance of the fixture within the South African sporting calendar. The first release of tickets sold out in record time for a Test match in South Africa.
CSA recognises that its communication around ticket availability did not provide the clarity supporters expected, and they apologise for the confusion this created. In an effort to clarify the situation, CSA has provided more information on ticket availability.
Clarification on Ticket Availability
A further release of general access tickets, including the remaining public allocation and any unused tickets from reserved categories, will be made available once final pitch allocation requirements have been confirmed. The general access hospitality experience, a first-of-its-kind, will be sold at the Newlands Cricket Ground as soon as packages are released. These packages have been specially designed to afford fans general access to the match coupled with a hospitality experience.
Through the South African Cricket Travel programme, the majority of package allocations were designed for domestic and local travellers. CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said: “We remain committed to ensuring that ticket access is managed fairly, transparently and in a way that balances supporter demand with the operational requirements of hosting a major international sporting event.” Moseki also stated that they equally value the loyal support fans have shown to the Proteas Men as the World Test Champions since their historic victory in June 2025.
Communication on the availability of the next batch of general access tickets, priced between R420 and R500 per ticket, will be shared timeously. For more information, visit Cricket South Africa.
