India women's cricket team secures LA28 Olympics s...

By Ishaan Kapoor — 29 June 2026 — 3 min read

Cricket’s Olympic Return and Qualification

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have outlined the qualification pathway for cricket’s return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028. This marks cricket’s re-entry into the Olympics after 128 years. Both the men’s and women’s competitions will feature six teams each.

The Indian women’s cricket team has already secured a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The Indian men’s team is also in a strong position for qualification.

Women’s and Men’s Qualification Pathways

For the women’s event, four quota places have been allocated to the highest-placed eligible National Olympic Committees (NOCs) continentally, based on their performances in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. Australia (Oceania), Great Britain (via England for Europe), India (Asia), and South Africa (Africa) have qualified through this route.

The qualification process for the men’s competition will see four places determined by the ICC Men’s T20I rankings. These spots are reserved for the highest-ranked eligible teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania as of December 31, 2026. India, currently the top-ranked men’s T20I side and reigning world champion, is leading the race for qualification, with Pakistan, the next highest-ranked Asian team, currently positioned sixth.

The USA, as the host nation, is eligible for automatic qualification in both the men’s and women’s competitions. This is contingent on the USA being ranked among the top 15 ICC T20I teams at any point between June 30, 2026, and December 31, 2026.

Final Qualification Spots and West Indies’ Status

The sixth and final spot in both the men’s and women’s competitions will be decided through the ICC Olympics Qualifier 2027. This tournament will feature eight teams in each event.

The West Indies is ineligible to participate directly in the Olympic Games as it represents multiple Caribbean nations and lacks recognition as an IOC National Olympic Committee (NOC). However, if the West Indies men’s or women’s teams are among the eight highest-ranked non-qualified sides by December 31, 2026, a dedicated Caribbean qualifier will be conducted to determine the nation that will compete in the ICC Olympics Qualifier. The West Indies comprises NOCs such as Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands, which do not compete individually in ICC events.

All cricket matches at Los Angeles 2028 are planned to be played at a purpose-built cricket venue in Pomona, located in Los Angeles County.

The Final Olympic Global Qualification Tournament (FOGQT) will be held separately for both genders, with dates yet to be finalised. The eight highest-ranked eligible teams that have not yet qualified based on rankings will compete for one slot each in the men’s and women’s competitions. In the event that the West Indies is ranked among these eight highest-ranked teams not yet qualified, the ICC will organise a West Indies Nations Regional Tournament to determine which NOC will represent the region at the Final Qualifier. No maximum limit on continental representation applies to the final qualifier.

The qualification criteria for cricket’s return to the Olympics were unveiled by the International Cricket Council on June 29, 2026.

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