Dubai, June 29, 2026: The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have announced the qualification pathway for cricket’s return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028 (LA28), confirming that six teams each will compete in the men’s and women’s T20 tournaments, including qualification through a newly introduced ICC Olympics Qualifier.
Under the qualification system, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania are each guaranteed one place in both the men’s and women’s competitions. Five qualification spots in each event will be decided through existing ICC events and the ICC T20 International rankings, while the sixth and final berth will be determined through the inaugural ICC Olympics Qualifier, scheduled for 2027.
The ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has already confirmed the first four women’s teams for LA28. Australia, Great Britain (represented by England), India and South Africa qualified as the highest-ranked eligible teams from Oceania, Europe, Asia and Africa, respectively.
The United States, as host nation, will qualify automatically for both the men’s and women’s tournaments provided their respective teams feature among the top 15 of the ICC T20I rankings at any point between June 30 and December 31, 2026.
If either the USA men’s or women’s team fails to meet that requirement, the automatic berth will instead be awarded to the next highest-ranked eligible team in the ICC T20I rankings as of the relevant qualification date.
For the men’s event, the remaining automatic qualification places will be awarded to the highest-ranked eligible teams from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania based on the ICC Men’s T20I rankings on December 31, 2026.
The final qualification place in both competitions will be decided at the eight-team ICC Olympics Qualifier in 2027, featuring the next highest-ranked eligible teams that have not already secured Olympic qualification.
The ICC also announced a special qualification arrangement for the Caribbean. Since the West Indies compete as a combined team and are not recognised as an International Olympic Committee National Olympic Committee (NOC), they cannot participate directly in the Olympic Games. If either the West Indies men’s or women’s team ranks among the top eight eligible teams by December 31, 2026, a dedicated Caribbean qualifying tournament will determine which national Olympic committee from the region will advance to the ICC Olympics Qualifier.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah described cricket’s Olympic return as a landmark moment for the sport.
“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,” he said, adding that the qualification pathway offers member nations a clear and exciting route to the Olympic stage.
ICC Chief Executive Sanjog Gupta said the qualification structure balanced competitive standards with global representation while helping expand cricket’s reach to new audiences.
The Olympic cricket competition will feature squads of 15 players per team. Teams will be divided into two groups of three, with each side playing the other teams in its group before facing two teams from the opposite group that finished in different positions.
The top two teams in the final standings will contest the gold medal match, while the third- and fourth-placed teams will compete for bronze.
A total of 28 matches—across both the men’s and women’s competitions—will be played at a purpose-built cricket venue in Pomona, California, during the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
