US President Donald Trump will host the G20 summit in Miami, Florida, on December 14 and 15. The 2026 G20 summit website lists 19 countries as state participants, including Poland but excluding South Africa, alongside the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) as regional organisations.
The Group of Twenty (G20) brings together some of the world’s largest and most influential economies to coordinate on global economic growth, financial stability, trade and other international challenges. Its members account for a substantial share of global GDP, trade and population, making it one of the most influential forums for international economic cooperation.
Despite its name, the G20 now comprises 19 countries and two regional organisations, the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU), bringing its total membership to 21.
The US website also lists 12 countries in a separate invitees section: Azerbaijan, Finland, Ireland, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
These invitations are distinct from permanent membership. Hosts can invite additional countries to participate in their summits, and the selection can change from one presidency to another.
How the diplomatic standoff began
The difference between membership and summit invitations is central to the dispute between Washington and Pretoria. In November 2025, Trump announced that South Africa would not be invited to the Miami summit, following the US boycott of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg on November 22 and 23.
Trump accused South Africa of refusing to hand over the G20 presidency to a senior US Embassy representative at the closing ceremony. Pretoria disputed that account, saying the presidency’s instruments were handed to a US Embassy official after the US delegation did not attend the ceremony.
The diplomatic dispute had already intensified over Trump’s allegations of human rights abuses against white South Africans, claims rejected by Pretoria and widely disputed. Washington also opposed aspects of South Africa’s 2025 G20 agenda, including its emphasis on climate change and development issues.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed that his country remained a full and active G20 member despite Trump’s threat to exclude it from the next summit.
However in January, South Africa announced a temporary step back from G20 activities during the US presidency, which Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana later described as a “temporary setback” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying it was intended to prevent a deeper diplomatic crisis with Washington.
The US decision does not formally remove South Africa from the group. Instead, the published lineup indicates that Pretoria remains absent from the US-hosted meeting while Poland appears among state participants.
Source: africa.businessinsider.com
