The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially announced the qualification pathway for cricket’s long awaited return to the Los Angeles Olympics 2028. Cricket will make its Olympic comeback after 128 years, with both the men’s and women’s competitions featuring six teams each.
According to the ICC, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania are each guaranteed one representative in both tournaments. Five of the six available spots will be decided through a combination of ICC tournaments and the ICC T20I rankings, following the existing Future Tour Programme (FTP). The sixth and final spot will be awarded through the newly introduced ICC Olympics Qualifier, scheduled for 2027, where eight teams will compete for the remaining place.
The ICC also confirmed that the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has already secured qualification for Australia, England, India, and South Africa. These teams earned their Olympic places by finishing as the highest ranked eligible nations from their respective regions.
The United States, as the host nation of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, also has a chance to qualify automatically. However, both the men’s and women’s teams must appear in the top 15 of the ICC T20I rankings at any point between June 30, 2026, and December 31, 2026. If the USA fails to meet this requirement, the qualification spot will instead go to the highest ranked nation that has not yet qualified.
The ICC further clarified that the West Indies cannot compete as a single team in the Olympic Games because they represent multiple Caribbean nations and are not recognized as an individual National Olympic Committee (NOC) by the International Olympic Committee. If West Indies finishes among the top eight unqualified teams, a separate Caribbean Qualifier will determine which eligible nation will represent the region at the ICC Olympics Qualifier.
This qualification system ensures fair regional representation while maintaining high competition standards as cricket prepares for its historic return to the Olympic stage in Los Angeles 2028.
