South African sports fans will have two familiar names to rally behind as SportyBet prepares to launch its first Crash Games World Cup, with former Bafana Bafana striker Benni McCarthy and Springbok star Cheslin Kolbe representing the country in a global competition offering nearly R1.7 million in prizes.
Launching on 14 October 2026, the 21-day tournament will run across participating SportyBet markets in Africa and Mexico, bringing together six ambassador-led teams and thousands of players competing for individual leaderboard positions and rewards.
McCarthy and Kolbe will join an international ambassador line-up featuring DJ Khaled, Burna Boy, Ivorian footballer Yan Diomande and Nigerian football star Asisat Oshoala. Players will choose one ambassador to represent, with their selection locked in for the duration of the competition.
For South Africa, the involvement of McCarthy and Kolbe brings together two sporting figures whose careers span different codes but share a connection to international competition.
Sporty Group’s VP of Business Development, Media and Marketing, Greg Parsons, said the tournament was designed to expand the company’s Crash Games offering through international ambassadors, competition and prizes. He also described South Africa as a key market for SportyBet.
DJ Khaled, meanwhile, welcomed the scale of the competition, highlighting the six teams, 21-day format and nearly R1.7 million prize pool.
How the competition works
Players can participate by selecting an ambassador and playing eligible Crash Games to accumulate experience points (XP). Points are based on qualifying cashout multipliers rather than stake size, with a 2x cashout earning 20 XP and a 10x cashout earning 100 XP before any applicable progression multiplier. Losing rounds earn no XP, and only qualifying real-money play counts.
As players progress, they can track their individual rankings and contribute to their chosen ambassador’s team standings. Previous activity does not count retrospectively, although players can join at any point during the tournament.
A championship ring up for grabs
The competition will reward 5,000 players with cash prizes, signed merchandise and Free Bets. The individual champion stands to receive R85,000 in cash, a signed T-shirt and a specially created championship ring valued at approximately R25,500.
The remaining rewards range from cash prizes for runners-up and signed merchandise for other top-ranked players to Free Bets for those finishing between 101st and 5,000th place.
Inspired by NBA championship rings, the gold-plated collector’s item features zirconia stones and has been created specifically for the inaugural winner.
At the end of the 21 days, the leaderboard will be frozen, results verified and winners confirmed before prizes are released.
With the competition spanning several markets, SportyBet is bringing its Crash Games portfolio into a shared tournament format. However, players should remember that Crash Games involve gambling and financial risk. Participation does not guarantee winnings, and players can lose the money they stake.
