Cricket's Global Expansion: Associate Nations and the Growth of the Game
Cricket is growing beyond its traditional strongholds in South Asia, Australia, England, South Africa and the West Indies. This guide examines cricket's expansion into new markets — the USA, Europe, East Africa and Southeast Asia.
Cricket has traditionally been concentrated in countries with British colonial histories: England, Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Beyond these ten Full Members, however, cricket is growing rapidly in a diverse range of countries — from the United States and Canada in North America, to the Netherlands and Scotland in Europe, to Nepal and Oman in Asia, to Namibia and Uganda in Africa. The ICC's Associate Member program covers 108 countries, and the T20 World Cup's expansion to 20 teams has given this associate layer global exposure.
Cricket in the United States
The United States is cricket's biggest growth market. The US hosted matches in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, including India vs Pakistan at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium — a temporary 34,000-seat venue built specifically for the tournament in New York. The match drew global television audiences of over 150 million viewers, demonstrating the US's potential as a cricket market. USA Cricket, restructured in 2019 after governance issues, has received significant ICC funding and the 2024 co-hosting experience has accelerated investment in permanent cricket infrastructure.
The ICC's Global Development Program
The ICC invests a portion of its commercial revenue in developing cricket globally through its development programs. Key initiatives include: the ICC Global Development fund, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup expansion to 12 teams, the World Cricket League (domestic/club cricket development), and targeted support for emerging T20 nations. Associate nations that demonstrate strong governance, infrastructure and competitive performance can petition for Full Member status — as Afghanistan and Ireland did successfully in 2017.
Fastest Growing Cricket Markets
Based on ICC participation data and broadcast viewership trends, the fastest growing cricket markets beyond traditional strongholds include: USA (T20 league development, large South Asian diaspora), Scotland (professional domestic structure, strong European performance), Netherlands (strong domestic club structure, European championship wins), Nepal (spectacular rise from street cricket to T20 World Cup), and Oman (Gulf region development, new infrastructure). The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Singapore also show strong emerging market indicators.
Frequently asked questions
How many countries play cricket internationally?
The ICC has 108 member countries as of 2026 — 12 Full Members who play Test cricket and have voting rights (England, Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Ireland) and 96 Associate Members. Major League Cricket in the USA and the Caribbean Premier League are among the leagues that compete for the world's best non-committed players.
Will cricket ever be as popular in the USA as baseball or football?
This is unlikely in the near term, given the deeply embedded cultures of baseball and American football. However, cricket targeting the large South Asian and Caribbean diaspora communities in the USA — an estimated 3-4 million cricket-following people — creates a viable fanbase for franchise T20 cricket. Major League Cricket (launched 2023) is specifically targeting this demographic while also building broader American interest through the Olympic exposure in 2028.