There has been a widespread outcry over the last week after the highly anticipated New Year’s Test between the Proteas and England at Newlands was said to be ‘sold out’ before local fans had any real opportunity to get their hands on tickets.
With many critics believing tickets were reserved for England fans in a money-making scheme, CSA has had a lot to answer for.
Initially 12% of all general access tickets were allocated to international travel packages, while 27% were allocated to domestic travel packages, but it’s remained unclear how exactly how local fans were frozen out so quickly.
CSA has now released another statement about the Newlands Test
“Cricket South Africa (CSA) acknowledges 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, with the first release of tickets selling 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 we apologise for the confusion this created.”
Cricket South Africa sought to clarify the following:
- 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.
Cricket South Africa 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.
“We equally value the loyal support fans have shown to the Proteas Men as the World Test Champions since their historic victory in June 2025, which all lies at the heart of the game.”
Communication on the availability of the next batch of general access tickets, priced between R420 and R500 per ticket, will be shared timeously.
