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Cricket is set to make a highly anticipated return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028, with reigning world champions India, Great Britain, and South Africa among the nations confirmed to feature in the men’s Twenty20 competition.
Hosts United States will also participate, according to a qualification pathway approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The qualification process dictates that one team from each of the five continents will secure a spot based on their International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings as of December 31, 2026.
Australia and New Zealand will vie for the single Oceania berth, while the US will represent the Americas, provided they maintain a top 15 ICC ranking.
World champions India will also compete (Getty)
As the IOC does not recognise the West Indies as a single entity, a separate Caribbean regional qualifier will determine which nation progresses.
This Caribbean winner will then join seven other high-ranked teams in a global qualifier, with the victor claiming the final place in the six-team tournament. Great Britain’s participation is secured through England’s current ranking.
The women’s T20 competition will also comprise six teams. Australia, Great Britain, South Africa, and India have already secured their places, having been identified as the four best-performing continental teams in the ongoing World Cup.
The women’s T20 World Cup is set to conclude this week, with Australia scheduled to face the West Indies in their semi-final on Tuesday before hosts England face South Africa two days later, with the final due to take place on Sunday.
The United States’s women’s team, however, has been excluded from the LA Olympics as neither they nor any other team from the Americas currently feature in the ICC’s top 15. Following next year’s Champions Trophy, the fifth spot will be awarded to the highest-ranked T20 team not yet qualified.
Similar to the men’s pathway, a Caribbean winner will advance to an eight-team global qualifier, with the ultimate winner earning the final coveted spot for LA 2028.
Cricket has not been part of the Olympics since the second summer Games back in 1900. Only two teams participated, with Great Britain beating France to secure the gold medal.
