The City has announced that it has officially expressed interest to hosting the European Professional Club Rugby finals in 2025 or 2026. The City will be working with SA Rugby on the bid.
A successful bid would add a key international rugby championship to an already exciting line-up of major events heading to Cape Town over the next five years. Cape Town has already registered interest with Cricket South Africa to be one of the host cities and provide support for the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup to be hosted in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Additionally, the City has had discussions with SAFA Cape Town about providing support to the football association’s bid for the rights to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027.
The City of Cape Town has also issued an endorsement letter to Cycling SA in its bid to host the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in 2028.
“Cape Town has proven its capabilities in undertaking the task of hosting major international events because we have an experienced events industry, an efficient Events Office and a well-established hospitality industry to provide support. As a result, we have seen over the last couple of years that events are a major catalyst for economic growth across many sectors, whether it’s tourism, logistics or hospitality,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith.
The Events Department also used the industry engagement to reflect on a successful events season, lessons and areas of improvement in the upcoming financial year. To date, in the 2022/23 financial year, the Events Permit Office has issued 1 171 permits, which is almost triple the number issued in the preceding financial year.
Some of the major events hosted in Cape Town during this financial year include: Springboks vs Wales test match, Rugby World Cup Sevens, Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Formula E, Town Cycle Tour, Rugby 7’s Cape Town, Two Oceans Marathon and many more.
Collectively, the above-mentioned events hosted over one million participants and spectators during a 10-month period. Additionally, a review of the economic impact revealed that seven of Cape Town’s sporting events generate over R5 billion worth of economic activity in the city.
