Southern Africa Cup 2023/24

The Southern Africa Cup, officially designated as the ACA Men’s T20 South & Central Region Qualifiers, serves as a regional cricket tournament for associate nations. Organized by the Africa Cricket Association (ACA), the competition provides a pathway for emerging teams within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region to compete at an international level. The inaugural edition took place in 2023 in Benoni, South Africa, featuring five national sides: Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mauritius, and Mozambique. The structure of the event utilises a single round-robin format. Each participating team plays every other squad once, with all matches granted Twenty20 International (T20I) status. This format ensures consistent competitive opportunities for nations that operate outside the traditional International Cricket Council (ICC) pathways leading directly to the World Cup. The primary objective of the tournament is to determine qualification for the continental ACA Africa T20 Cup. In the first iteration, Botswana finished top of the table with four wins, securing their place in the broader continental finals. Uganda currently hold the title of the ACA Africa T20 Cup following victories in 2022 and 2023. The ACA functions as the governing body for associate and affiliate member nations across the continent. This regional qualifier operates alongside domestic competitions such as the CSA T20 Challenge but targets a different developmental tier. The tournament highlights the growing cricket infrastructure in nations like Eswatini and Malawi, offering players visibility against higher-standard opposition. While the 2023 edition was successful in identifying a qualifier, subsequent editions for 2024 or 2025 have not been formally scheduled, leaving the future structure of this specific regional competition under review. The focus remains on providing competitive matches rather than immediate global advancement.