Cricket Qualifiers for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Scheduled for Early 2028
The ICC has moved the cricket qualification matches for the 2028 Olympics to January-February 2028, just months before the games.
New Delhi, October 23 (Daily Kiran) : The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that the qualification matches for cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will take place in January and February 2028. Teams will compete against each other, with the top performers earning spots in the Olympic Games.
Initially, the ICC had planned to hold qualifiers in 2027 to finalize the entries for both men’s and women’s competitions. However, a report from Cricinfo reveals that these matches have now been postponed to early 2028. This change means the qualifiers will occur less than six months before the Olympics, which are set to begin in June.
Cricket will return to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, with six teams each in the men’s and women’s events vying for medals. For the women’s tournament, Australia, India, South Africa, and England have already secured their spots based on their performances in the T20 World Cup 2026.
In the men’s competition, the top-ranked teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania in the ICC T20 International rankings by December 31, 2026, will gain direct entry to the Olympics. If the U.S. men’s and women’s teams rank within the top 15 between June 30, 2026, and December 31, 2026, they could also earn an automatic slot. Currently, the U.S. men’s team ranks 13th, making their qualification likely, while the women’s team is positioned at 19th.
The ICC stated that if the U.S. women’s team does not make the top 15, the fifth spot will go to the highest-ranked team from any continent that has not yet qualified, based on the ICC T20 International rankings as of March 1, 2027. Cricinfo further noted a rule change: if the U.S. women’s team fails to qualify, the fifth place will instead be awarded to the top-performing team in the upcoming Women’s Champions Trophy.
Both men’s and women’s qualifiers will feature eight teams, with the winners securing the sixth spot in the main Olympic event. The venues for these qualifiers are yet to be determined. The eight teams will include the automatically qualifying teams and the seven highest-ranked teams, along with the winner of the Caribbean regional qualifier.
Additionally, the men’s and women’s T20 World Cups are set to be held close to the Olympics. The Women’s T20 World Cup will take place in Pakistan from September 7 to October 1, 2028, while the Men’s tournament is scheduled for Australia and New Zealand from October 12 to November 12, 2028. This marks cricket’s long-awaited return to the Olympic stage after its only appearance in the 1900 Paris Olympics.
