Cricket is set to make its long-awaited return to the Olympic Games, with both men’s and women’s events included at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The ICC confirmed after a meeting in Dubai that six teams will compete in each category, with a total of 28 matches scheduled.
ICC chief executive Sanjay Gupta described the inclusion as a landmark moment for the sport. “Being part of the Olympics is a major breakthrough,” he said. “It opens the door to government funding, which will be a huge boost for development and infrastructure investment.”
Gupta added that making cricket a regular feature at multi-sport events such as the Asian Games, Pan-American Games and African Games would help expand its reach across new regions, encouraging greater investment at both elite and grassroots levels.
Five of the six Olympic spots will go to the highest-ranked teams from each of the five continental regions — Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. The host nation, the United States, will qualify automatically from its region, while the final place will be decided through a global qualifying tournament.
Based on current rankings, India (Asia), Australia (Oceania), England (Europe), South Africa (Africa) and the United States (the Americas and host nation) are set to feature in the men’s competition.
The remaining berth will be contested by teams including New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the West Indies, who will battle it out in the qualifiers for a place in the main event.
