Cricket Australia has promised Queensland hosting rights for the first Test of the 2032-33 summer at a newly built Brisbane Stadium, immediately after a home Olympics and Paralympics, as chief executive Todd Greenberg declared the SCG “desperately” needed future upgrades or risked being left behind.
A day after venues were officially unveiled for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and CA chairman Mike Baird announced on Wednesday plans for the state’s marquee international cricket fixtures.
After missing out on hosting a Test in the 2026-27 summer for the first time in half a century – Australia will face New Zealand in four Tests – Brisbane has been guaranteed a men’s Test match each year at the Gabba from 2027 to 2031 before its proposed knockdown in 2032 after the Olympics and Paralympics. Whether the Gabba will host the first Test of those summers is yet to be confirmed.
A new 63,000-seat stadium is to be built at Victoria Park to host athletics at Brisbane 2032, which will then serve as a venue for cricket and AFL after the Games.
If cricket is included in the Brisbane 2032 program – a decision will be made next year – CA officials hope Australia can win a gold medal before the Gabba’s demolition.
The plan would then be for Brisbane Stadium to host the opening Test of the 2032-33 season in November or December.
An artist’s impression of the main stadium for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to be built at Victoria Park in Brisbane’s inner-north.Credit: Queensland government
Australia only has clarity on its playing schedule until mid-2027, so an opponent is not locked in yet.
The International Cricket Council is working on a new Futures Tours Program, which, as revealed by this masthead, could result in Australia playing India and England more often in Tests.
CA and Queensland Cricket lobbied hard for a new stadium and were thrilled by Tuesday’s announcement, despite it signalling the end of the Gabba, which has played host to many memorable matches.
“Cricket is embedded in Queensland’s DNA and the decision to build a world-class stadium at Victoria Park ensures it has a future in this state,” Crisafulli said on Wednesday.
Mike Baird has warned the SCG needs upgrading or risked being left behind.Credit: Getty Images
“Test cricket belongs in Queensland, and this decision means fans won’t miss out on seeing some of the best cricket teams play Test matches in Brisbane right through to the summer before Brisbane 2032 where we regain our title as host of the first Test of the summer.”
The only problem that could arise for Brisbane is if Australia only hosts four Tests in a summer, as it will do in the 2026-27 season against New Zealand.
With the Melbourne and Sydney Tests staples of the cricket summer, Adelaide or Perth – both with upgraded facilities – could miss out on a Test. However, it is likely that five or more Tests will be played each summer from 2027-28 onwards.
“It’s a huge boost,” Greenberg, CA’s new chief executive, told SEN Radio on Wednesday. “It basically cements cricket for the next generation at international level for Queenslanders.
Fans flock to the SCG earlier this year for the fifth Test between Australia and India. Credit: Steven Siewert
“The decision gives us real certainty about venues and scheduling, which in turn, allows us to ensure that Brisbane hosts the best [and] most international and domestic cricket games.
“I would hope that if you had a crystal ball, we’d be playing the gold medal match in the 2032 Olympics at the Gabba, and we could farewell with a gold medal there and then turn across and open the summer with a Test match at the brand-new stadium. It sounds like a pretty nice way to launch a new stadium, doesn’t it?”
Greenberg, a former board member of Venues NSW, which oversees the state’s major sporting facilities, including the SCG, says Sydney’s premier cricket venue needs upgrades.
“Incredibly, what we’ll possibly see now is the SCG will desperately need some attention because it will fall far behind some of these other iconic stadiums across the country,” Greenberg told SEN.
“Some of those stands there are extremely old and tired [at the SCG]. The people who are running Venues NSW and the SCG know that. We’ve helped them strongly advocate for more funding.
“No one loves the SCG more than me. I’m born and bred in Sydney, so I spent a lot of time there, but this is what happens in modern sport; investment goes into stadiums and it creates a new benchmark. The new stadium in Brisbane will do that.
“We’ve got to continue to lift the bar all over the country.”
