ICC confirms qualification pathway for cricket's LA28 Olympic return

Cricket is going to the Olympics — and here's how to get there

Cricket. The Olympics. Los Angeles. 2028.

This has not happened in the lifetimes of most of the present-day cricket buffs. Last time the sport was hosted at the Olympic Games was in 1900 at the Paris Games, and just one match had been played there. Now, a century later, ICC and the IOC today, confirmed the complete qualification road for the six men's team and the six women's team to make history in California.

The Stage to LA28 is officially open. And now the race has started.

The Tournament appears like:

First some of the fundamentals — this is truly new ground for cricket.

Six teams will play in the T20 tournament in both the men's and women's divisions in LA28. A maximum of 15 players per squad is allowed. The teams will be divided into two groups of three and then play in their group and cross over, after which the knockouts will determine who will lift the gold.

The matches will be played at a specially built cricket stadium at Pomona, Los Angeles, where a cricket stadium is being built just for the occasion. A total of 28 matches will be held in both the men's and women's events, with a total of 180 athletes taking part in all of the matches.Read more about your favorite sports with Spin24star.

An electric, small format. Very T20. Very Olympic.

How Teams Qualify — Women's Event

The ladies' route to qualification is more immediately thrilling as this is the route that is already delivering results.

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 continues this week, with four of the six places in the women's tournament being up for grabs. Each team represents a continent, with one team coming from each of Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania, thus from the outset the Olympics has a global feel.

As things stand, four women's teams have already booked their tickets to LA28:

Australia — by Oceania qualification

Great Britain, via Europe (England) — qualification.

India — Asia Qualifier

South Africa — Africa qualifying, by qualification

Qualifying for India is itself a big achievement. It's a historic moment for the world's most passionate cricket nation to be going to the Olympics for the first time, let alone in the Women's game.Explore trending sports stories and analysis on the Spin24star blog.

The fifth is for the host country - the USA if they are in the top 15 of the 

The final place in the women's tournament will be determined by the all-new ICC Olympics Qualifier in 2027, which will be a tournament with eight teams vying for one remaining gold ticket to Los Angeles.

How Teams Qualify — Men's Event

It's a different pathway for the men, and that race is far from over.

In case of the men's team, the spots will not be given via the World Cup but instead will be determined by the ICC Men's T20I Rankings on 31 December 2026. The best team in each of the four continents (Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania) will qualify automatically. Teams representing a single continent. Easy, straightforward and it ensures worldwide representation.

The host nation berth is again going to the USA, but all the top-15 ranking requirement will come back into effect this time around from June 30 to December 31, 2026. Cricket will be under a lot of pressure and pride for the US men's team to be on home soil as the eyes of a new American audience will be focused on the sport.

It's a complicated deal, but it provides a true route to Los Angeles for one of cricket's most popular areas: the Caribbean. Considering the talent that abounds throughout the islands, no one should dismiss them.

The ICC Olympics Qualifier is a new and unique event.

This event will have eight teams competing in both the men's and women's divisions in 2027. Of the remaining seven teams, the top six teams in the ICC T20I rankings will secure the remaining places. If the West Indies are the team, the 8th place in the women's event will be filled by the Caribbean Qualifier.

Each of the qualifiers gains the final Olympic spot for each. Two games, one in men and one in women cricket, which could determine the final two places in the biggest cricket game in more than 100 years.

The dates for the ICC Olympics Qualifier have yet to be set but it will be one of the most-watched qualification events the sport has ever witnessed.

Why This Matters

ICC Chairman Jay Shah described it as a "landmark moment" and he's right – for the first time.

Cricket is enjoyed by more than two billion people across the globe. It is the second most popular sport in the world. Yet for 128 years it has never been at the one place that really touches everyone – the Olympic Games.

LA28 changes that. A purpose-built stadium. Six men's teams and six women's teams. T20 cricket — that format which has been created for "new audiences" — those who have never watched the game before, those who are tuning in out of curiosity, patriotism or love for a new sport which a billion people in South Asia, Caribbean and the UK have loved all their lives — suddenly loving it.

This is the greatest occasion in cricket's history for a generation. Maybe ever.

The Road Ahead

In the women's game, it's now an obvious story: four teams have been confirmed, and the USA and one qualifier remain to be determined.

The next six months of T20I cricket for the men takes a whole new look. All series, ranking points, and matches until the end of the year are countable towards the Olympic qualification. The rankings will be closely followed by teams all over Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania.

It's the summer of 2028 and the men's and women's teams will march onto the cricket field for the first time in modern Olympic history at a specially designed stadium in the city of Pomona, California.

This is something that has been long awaited by cricket for 128 years.We are nearly done!