Legends of the beautiful game will be heading to South Africa in 2027 for the ARI King's Cup.

The Paarl region in the Cape Winelands has agreed to a multi-year partnership that will see stars of the past coming together to help grow the game in the area.

Boland has a rich sporting history with cricket and rugby at its forefront, and the vision is to add football to that list in the years to come.

As part of the collaboration, the scenic stadium in Paarl will be upgraded to a multi-purpose venue capable of hosting world-class sporting events in the future and it all starts with next year’s edition of 27 February.

The likes of Liverpool legends Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Michael Owen will renew their rivalries with former Manchester United foes Juan Sebastián Verón, Antonio Valencia and Luis Nani.

Add a bit of Spanish spice to the mix in the form of La Liga legends Rivaldo, Carles Puyol, Marcelo and Fernando Morientes and you have yourself quite the exhibition.

Bafana Bafana legend, Mark Fish, is the official ambassador of the tournament and he’s excited by the prospect of growing the sport in the region.

“If you have different sporting codes working together for the benefit of each sport and then again, working in the communities, we always have to touch on it as South Africans – we have many social issues, problems, in our communities. This is just another way that we can hopefully help and relieve the pressures and expectations of youngsters in the communities and hopefully give them a way to a better future,” said Fish.

Upgrading Boland Park into a world class multi-purpose facility and the official home of the ARI King’s Cup would send a power message of belief to the winelands area and Fish agrees. “For them, King's Cup, to come here to South Africa and come here to this region, can only be good for the region.”

The Bafana legend is optimistic about the prospects the partnership can bring adding that, “I’m excited because the Western Cape is known for a lot of talent – we see how the players are getting exported out of Stellenbosch to various clubs in South Africa and around the world. So, this is just another tool that we can use to help develop the game, not only in the region but obviously in South Africa as a whole.”

To be able to host some of the beautiful game’s most celebrated icons in South Africa is enough to pique the interest of any football fanatic.

That, coupled with meaningful investment in a bid to uplift the region on multiple fronts, can be the spark that ignites the start of a purple patch in sport for the Western Cape.

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