The former Proteas captain will return to competitive team sport this December when he represents Team South Africa at the inaugural Icons Cup South Africa, taking place at The Links at Fancourt from 11–13 December 2026.
For one of South Africa’s most celebrated sporting figures, the occasion carries a feeling that goes far beyond golf.
“I miss representing my country,” de Villiers says.
Now, he has the opportunity to do it again.
Having previously represented Team World at the Icons Series in New York, de Villiers knows exactly what awaits him. This time, however, the green and gold will be on his side.
And standing alongside him will be one of his childhood sporting heroes: Ernie Els.
From Proteas captain to Team South Africa
De Villiers has spent plenty of time playing golf since retiring from international cricket.
But Icons Cup South Africa will bring something different.
It will bring back the pressure, the nerves and the unmistakable feeling of competing as part of a team.
Team South Africa will face a Team World packed with sporting icons from around the globe.
For de Villiers, this is no casual celebrity golf outing.
“I miss hitting the ball and representing my country,” he says. “This gives me an opportunity to do that again, in a completely different sport.”
The former Proteas captain admits there are parts of professional sport he does not miss, including months of travel and the relentless pressure.
But representing South Africa?
That is different.
That feeling, he says, is something he has missed.
This is competitive golf
Anyone expecting a relaxed round of celebrity golf may want to think again.
De Villiers says fans can expect high-profile sporting superstars to find themselves under genuine pressure, in front of a crowd and television audiences.
The players coming to the event have all played golf before, while most are single handicappers.
The result?
A fiercely competitive contest.
Then there is the added intensity of Team South Africa versus Team World.
De Villiers has already seen the Team World lineup, and his reaction says plenty about what makes this event different.
He is “childishly excited” to meet some of the sporting icons coming to South Africa.
For a man who spent years sharing dressing rooms with some of the world’s biggest cricket stars, that enthusiasm is telling.
Ernie Els: the childhood hero beside him
For de Villiers, perhaps one of the most special parts of the Icons Cup will be playing alongside Ernie Els.
The relationship has an unexpected beginning.
During his playing days, de Villiers never met Els.
Then, one December while he was in Herold’s Bay with his wife, he spotted someone walking towards the ocean.
He immediately recognised him.
“That’s Ernie Els. I swear it’s Ernie,” he told his wife.
De Villiers, who grew up watching Els on television, walked over like “the biggest fan in the world”.
The encounter eventually turned into friendship and a beer together.
Now, years later, Els will captain Team South Africa.
“He exceeded all expectations,” de Villiers says. “He’s a larger-than-life character and an absolute idol and role model.”
For de Villiers, having Els as captain means having someone who can inspire the team simply by being there.
“He’s going to inspire us, and he doesn’t even have to say a word.”
Then comes The Links at Fancourt
If the names involved were not enough to raise the stakes, the course certainly will.
De Villiers describes The Links at Fancourt as brutal.
“It’s one of the hardest courses in South Africa and there’s nowhere to hide,” he says.
The short game will provide a major challenge, while the weather could add another layer of difficulty.
Windy conditions are possible, meaning the players will need to manage more than just their nerves and their opponents.
De Villiers knows what is coming.
So does Team South Africa.
And preparations are already underway.
The practice has begun
Golf is not a new love for de Villiers.
He grew up playing the sport from a very young age, with golf forming a significant part of his family upbringing.
Since hearing that the Icons Cup was coming to South Africa, however, he has increased his practice.
He is now getting onto the range two or three times a week.
It may still be fun.
But there is a clear objective.
“We are definitely going to compete and try to win this thing,” he says.
Even AB de Villiers still gets nervous
De Villiers knows pressure.
Throughout his international cricket career, he performed on some of the biggest stages in sport.
Yet he says the nerves never disappeared.
Even at the peak of his cricket career, he was still nervous walking out to bat and afraid of failing.
For him, that is simply part of being human.
“I believe in myself and I’m confident, but I’m also a little bit scared,” he says.
The answer?
Practice.
And then more practice.
When he reaches the first tee at The Links, de Villiers says he will remind himself that he has nothing to lose.
Believe in himself.
Go “guns blazing”.
Leave everything out there.
Win or lose.
It is a mindset that sounds familiar to anyone who watched him take on pressure in a South African cricket shirt.
From idolising Brian Lara to facing him
The Icons Cup will also create an extraordinary sporting reunion for de Villiers.
Among the players he is most excited to compete against is Brian Lara, one of his childhood idols.
De Villiers remembers being eight years old and watching Lara on television, dreaming of one day batting like him.
Years later, he met Lara while playing for South Africa.
The encounter stayed with him.
Lara knew his name. He told de Villiers that he knew how to pronounce it and then delivered another memorable message:
“You can play the game.”
At the time, Lara was one of the greatest players in the world and someone de Villiers had grown up watching.
Now they will meet again.
Only this time, they will be on opposing teams.
Why Icons Cup is different
The appeal of the Icons Cup extends beyond golf.
For de Villiers, its uniqueness comes from bringing sporting legends from different codes together in one competition.
It creates an opportunity for fans to see familiar heroes in a completely different environment.
They can interact with them, see their human side and watch them deal with the pressure of doing something outside the sport in which they became famous.
That is part of what makes the event accessible even to people who may not consider themselves golf fans.
Inspiring the next generation
There is also a bigger message behind the spectacle.
De Villiers believes events like Icons can encourage young people to dream, get outdoors and connect with their sporting heroes.
When he was growing up, getting close to role models was difficult.
Icons offers something different.
Young fans can see their heroes up close, interact with them and hopefully leave inspired.
For de Villiers, that opportunity matters.
Because sometimes seeing someone you admire in person is enough to make a dream feel possible.
A South African sporting weekend awaits
For South Africans considering the trip to Fancourt, de Villiers has a simple message:
Come and be part of it.
The Icons Cup South Africa arrives during the festive season, with the Garden Route providing the backdrop for what promises to be a unique meeting of sporting worlds.
Rugby legends.
Football legends.
Cricket legends.
Sporting stars from around the world.
All in one place.
But once the first tee shot is struck, the nostalgia will take a back seat.
The competition begins.
And for AB de Villiers, there is something deeply meaningful about being back in the green and gold.
He has represented South Africa on cricket’s biggest stages.
This December, he gets to represent his country again — with a golf club in his hands, Ernie Els beside him and Team World standing in the way.
This time, the game is golf. But the feeling is unmistakably South African.
