Cricket’s debut at South American Games shelved due to lack of participants

Plans to include cricket at the South American Games for the first time in 2026 have been cancelled just over a month out from the event’s opening.

It was reported last year that the sport would make its debut at the upcoming Games in Argentina, however the tournament has been removed from the schedule due to a lack of participants.

While tournament regulations required a minimum of five entrants for the competition to go ahead, only Brazil and Argentina had registered teams ahead of the cut-off date.

According to a source within Cricket Argentina the decision not to grant the event the status of a qualifier for the 2027 Pan-American Games was a factor in the lack of entrants, along with the struggle some boards have had in reguralising relationships with their national Olympic Committees.

Despite the setback, cricket is still expected to feature at next years Pan-American Games in Lima with men’s and women’s tournaments scheduled from 22 July – 6 August 2027. The Peruvian government recently announced funding for a new cricket centre ahead of the Pan-Am Games.

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