Cricket in Chile

Chile has one of the older cricket histories in South America. The ICC says the game’s heyday came in the 1920s, while Chile’s national side had already appeared in international cricket by 1893, when it played Argentina in Santiago. Chile joined the ICC in 2002 and later became an associate member, giving the country a formal place in the international game alongside its older club and school-era traditions.

Who plays cricket in Chile

Cricket in Chile is still a small sport, but it has a clearer social base than many fringe markets. Historically, the game was tied to British and school influence in places such as Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, and today it is sustained by a more organized cricket community under the Chilean Cricket Association. That means Chilean cricket is no longer just a historical remnant; it is a living small-sport structure with active national representation.

Cricket’s place in Chile today

Chile remains a minor cricket nation in global terms, but it is a real one. ICC records recognize Chile as an associate member, and the national side has played T20Is. At the same time, Reuters reported in 2024 that Cricket Chile had been put on notice by the ICC over governance and administrative compliance, which shows both that the country has a meaningful formal structure and that it still faces institutional challenges.