Cricket’s road back to the Olympic Games is now officially mapped out. The International Cricket Council (ICC), in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has confirmed the qualification system for the men’s and women’s cricket tournaments at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, ending months of anticipation over how teams will secure their places for the sport’s historic return.
Cricket will feature at the Olympics for the first time in 128 years, having last appeared at the Paris 1900 Games. While the men’s competition returns after that lone appearance, the LA28 Games will also witness the debut of women’s cricket at the Olympics, marking a significant milestone for the growth of the sport worldwide. The tournaments will be played in the T20 format, with six teams competing in both the men’s and women’s events.
Each competition will follow an innovative format designed to maximise competitive balance. The six participating nations will be divided into two groups of three teams. Every team will play the other two sides in its group once before facing two teams from the opposite group that finished in different positions. For instance, the team finishing first in Group A will play the second and third-placed teams from Group B.
Following the group stage, the top two teams on the overall standings will contest the gold medal match, while the teams placed third and fourth will battle for the bronze medal. Each nation will be allowed a squad of 15 players, taking the total athlete quota for cricket to 180 across both tournaments.
The United States, as hosts of the Los Angeles Olympics, has been guaranteed one place each in the men’s and women’s competitions. However, the host quota is conditional. The USA must be ranked within the top 15 of the ICC T20I Team Rankings by 31 December 2026 to retain its automatic qualification. If either the USA men’s or women’s team fails to meet that benchmark, the reserved host spot will instead be allocated to the next highest-ranked eligible team that has not already qualified, irrespective of continental representation.
The qualification journey for the women’s event begins with the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England and Wales. Four of the six Olympic berths will be awarded to the highest-ranked eligible National Olympic Committees from four separate continents: Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania.
One notable exception is the West Indies. Although the Caribbean side reached the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup, it cannot directly qualify for the Olympics because it is not recognised as a single National Olympic Committee by the IOC. Instead, the ICC will organise a Caribbean regional qualifying tournament to determine which individual nation from the region advances to the final Olympic qualifying event.
India, Australia, South Africa and Great Britain have already secured qualification from their respective continents through their performances at the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Unlike the women’s pathway, the men’s qualification will primarily be determined by the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings. One team each from Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania will qualify based on being the highest-ranked eligible National Olympic Committee from their continent at the conclusion of the qualification window on 31 December 2026. Only ranking points accumulated until that date will count towards Olympic qualification, making every bilateral T20I series over the coming months crucial for teams aiming to secure a direct berth.
The final remaining place in both the men’s and women’s competitions will be decided through the inaugural ICC Olympics Qualifier, officially named the Final Olympic Games Qualification Tournament (FOGQT), which is scheduled to take place in 2027.
Eight of the highest-ranked eligible teams that have not already qualified will compete in the tournament, with only one Olympic berth available in each discipline. For the men’s event, qualification for the global tournament will be based on the ICC T20I rankings as of 31 December 2026, while the women’s field will be determined using the rankings published on 1 March 2027.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah described the announcement as a defining moment for the game. “Cricket’s return to the Olympic Games is a landmark moment for our sport and a powerful opportunity to showcase the very best of cricket to the world,” Shah said. “The confirmation of this qualification pathway is an important step towards Los Angeles 2028 and gives Members across the world a clear and exciting route to the Olympic stage.”
With qualification criteria now in place and the first women’s teams already confirmed, the countdown to cricket’s Olympic comeback has officially begun. The Los Angeles Games promise to introduce the sport to a global audience while offering players the rare opportunity to compete for an Olympic medal, adding a new and prestigious chapter to cricket’s international calendar.
