Cricket returns to LA 2028 Olympics in T20 after 128 years. ICC’s new qualification favors regional balance: five teams via regional rankings, sixth via global qualifier, making India vs Pakistan clash unlikely as Pakistan may need the qualifier.
Cricket is set to make a grand comeback to the Olympics at the Los Angeles (LA) Games in 2028. The last time cricket was played was way back in 1900, when only two teams, Great Britain and France, competed, marking a rare and historic appearance for the sport. Great Britain won the Gold medal, and they are defending champions, as cricket returns to the Olympics after a 128-year hiatus.
After the 1900 Paris Olympics, Cricket has never featured in the Summer due to limited global reach, long match durations, and logistical challenges. In 2021, the International Cricket Council (ICC) bid for cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the inclusion of the sport (in the T20 format) for the 2028 Summer Olympics at its Executive Board meeting in October 2023.
Cricket was featured in the Commonwealth Games 2022 and the Asia Games 2023. The sport will return to a multi-game quadrennial event at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games in 2032. At the ICC Board Meeting in Dubai, it was confirmed that six teams each in the men’s and women’s categories will participate in the T20 format at the LA Olympics 2028.
Qualification for the LA Olympics 2028
Earlier, it was decided that the top six teams in the men’s and women’s T20I rankings will automatically qualify for the LA Olympics 2028, securing their spots in the tournament. However, this proposal has been kept aside as the ICC board wanted a geographically balanced route, ensuring fair participation from different regions and giving emerging nations a chance to participate in the tournament.
Speaking to the Times of India (TOI), a veteran ICC administrator stated that each board region will send its top-ranked team to the LA Olympics 2028, and the global qualifier will decide a final spot in the quadriennal event.
“It will now be an arrangement where the top‑ranked team from each region/continent will make the first five teams… the sixth team will come through a global qualifier,” a veteran ICC administrator told TOI.
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The new qualification proposal for the LA Olympics 2028 ensures broader global representation, with the five teams qualifying through regional rankings and the sixth team through a global qualifier, which will likely take place closer to the Olympics, determining the final team that will fly to Los Angeles for the quadrennial event.
India vs Pakistan’s Face-Off Unlikely at Olympics
With cricket returning to the Olympics after a 128-year hiatus at the Los Angeles Games, there was an anticipation for the clash between India and Pakistan when the earlier qualification plan suggested the top six teams T20I rankings would earn an automatic berth for the quadrennial event.
However, the new proposal by the ICC board, which prioritizes regional representation and a global qualifier for the sixth spot, makes the India vs Pakistan clash at Los Angeles unlikely. Why? The regional qualification cut-off will put India from Asia, England from Europe, South Africa from Africa, and Australia from Oceania in positions to qualify for the Olympics, while the fifth berth remains a complication around America, whether it goes to the USA as the hosts or the West Indies would take the spot.
For Pakistan, the 2009 T20 champions may have to play a global qualifier to earn a final berth in the Los Angeles Olympics 2028. Therefore, the clash between India and Pakistan looks highly unlikely at the moment, as Pakistan would need to secure the final spot through the global qualifier, making a potential clash with India uncertain.