Brussels just launched an international cricket league in a country where almost no one plays cricket.
The timing tells you everything.
Cricket has 2.5 billion fans globally, second only to football. The Indian Premier League reached $16.4 billion in 2024, with 620 million average viewers.
Cricket gains Olympic inclusion in 2028, with 3.2 billion expected viewers. Belgium launches its EU T20 tournament in May 2026. Two years before the Olympics puts eyes on cricket.
That’s not coincidence.
Six teams. Each squad mixes four current internationals, six global superstars, four associate stars, and four Belgian players. Six years of development planning. A preparatory tournament before the main league. Women’s cricket from day one.
The organizational structure reveals the seriousness. Destino Legends owns the league. Cricket Belgium provides licensing. The International Cricket Council sanctions everything. Three entities, full governance, zero shortcuts.
Two young Belgian cricket players just told the world their sport is about to change. Hamza Munir is 20. Mohammad Qasem Sabir is 18. They represent the local talent this initiative needs to work.
Belgium has advantages most European countries don’t. A growing South Asian community means built-in audience and talent pool. The multilingual society creates bridges to cricket’s traditional markets. Geography puts it in Europe’s center, accessible to players and fans across the continent.
Belgium positions itself as the bridge between traditional cricket nations and Europe. The inaugural ceremony in Brussels marked entry into a market most European countries haven’t considered.
Eoin Morgan, the 2019 World Cup-winning captain, showed up to the Brussels ceremony. When established cricket figures cross continents for a launch in a non-cricket nation, they see something.
Whether it succeeds depends on execution. But the structure shows organizers who understand the difference between building a league and building a cricket ecosystem.
Belgium has a two-year head start before cricket hits the Olympics. The question is whether that’s enough runway to own the European cricket market before countries with actual cricket infrastructure wake up.