What this dashboard is — and isn't
What it is
An open, reproducible experimental satellite-account estimate of the economic contribution of the 44 South-African-hosted matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027. It applies the Vilnius 3.0 NSSA framework (a sport-satellite extension of the System of National Accounts) to publicly available tournament, tourism, and infrastructure data.
What it is not
- It is not an official publication of Statistics South Africa, the National Treasury, Cricket South Africa, or the ICC.
- It is not a peer-reviewed journal. The earlier "Vilnius Quarterly" framing has been retired to avoid implying editorial independence.
- It is not a forecast. Figures are model outputs based on disclosed assumptions; outturns will differ.
Authorship & method
The model is the work of the NSSA Workstream — a research effort building South Africa's first sport satellite account aligned to EU practice. All assumptions, ratios and multipliers are listed on the Methodology page. The underlying Crosswalk workbook (v01, March 2026) is the canonical source of method.
On the R15bn headline
Media coverage in 2025 carried claims of "R15 billion injection / 27,000 jobs". Those figures conflate multi-year gross turnover, tourism pipeline effects, and (in some versions) Zimbabwe and Namibia spend. They are not directly comparable to the GVA figure on this dashboard. Trust the R2.72bn GVA central estimate (range R2.31bn – R3.13bn); treat the R15bn headline with skepticism.
Net public cost
The R303m indicative tax revenue shown on this dashboard does not net out government outlays for security, transport, and venue readiness — typically R500m–R1bn for events of this scale. Net fiscal position could be neutral or modestly negative. This is normal for mega-events; the case rests on GVA, jobs, and brand value.
Contact & contributions
Corrections, additional data sources, and methodological critique are welcome. Reach out via the NSSA Workstream channels referenced in the Crosswalk technical note.