New Delhi: India’s women’s team has become one of the four teams that have confirmed their places in the cricket event at the Olympics 2028, as the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the qualification pathway for the sport’s return to the Los Angeles Games 2028. Six teams from different continents will take part in the Men’s and Women’s competitions as the two bodies have also confirmed the introduction of the first-ever ICC Olympics Qualifier.
Teams from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania are all guaranteed representation as cricket returns to the Games after 128 years. The ICC confirmed that the qualification for five places will be “decided through a combination of existing ICC events and ICC T20I rankings, according to the existing approved and published FTP structure.” Meanwhile, the sixth and final spots for both men’s and women’s events will be decided through the newly introduced ICC Olympics Qualifier, which will be held next year in 2027. Cricket at the Olympics will take place from July 12 to 28, the LA organisers had announced in July last year.
Men’s and Women’s qualification differs; India book ticket for women’s event
As per the release, the qualification for the men’s and women’s events differs. As for men’s cricket, the ICC Men’s T20I rankings will determine the qualification for four teams. Those four teams won’t just be the highest-ranked teams but will be the highest-ranked eligible National Olympic Committees from different continents as of 31 December 2026, progressing to LA28. The fifth-ranked team in both men’s and women’s cricket will be the host nation USA, as long as they stay in the top 15 at any time between 30 June 2026 and 31 December 2026.
For the men’s event, if the USA are not in the top 15 at any time during this period, “the fifth automatic qualification spot will be allocated to the next-highest-ranked nation from any continent that has not already qualified by 31 December 2026.” In the women’s category, if the USA are not in the top 15, the fifth spot will go to the highest-placed non-qualified nation in the ICC T20I rankings from any continent as of 1 March 2027.
Meanwhile, India women have qualified for the event along with Australia, Great Britain (England) and South Africa. While the men’s event will be decided as per T20I rankings, “the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has confirmed the first participants for LA28, with Australia, Great Britain (via England), India and South Africa qualifying by virtue of being the highest-placed eligible finishers from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The ICC has capped one place per continent for these places, which puts New Zealand’s qualification in doubt. USA can be the fifth-ranked team for the women’s category if it stays in the top 15.
As for the sixth spot, the ICC and IOC have introduced the first-ever ICC Olympics Qualifier. Eight teams in women’s and men’s cricket will take part in the event, and only one of them will proceed to the Olympics in each category.
ICC lays out qualification pathway for West Indies
Meanwhile, the ICC and the IOC have announced a different path for the West Indies. The West Indies are a composite ICC member and represent Caribbean nations, and they are not recognised as an IOC National Olympic Committee. Due to this, they are not eligible to participate in the Olympics or to even obtain a quota place. However, if they are among the eight highest-ranked teams not yet qualified by 31 December 2026, there will be a Caribbean Qualifier event, which will determine which NOC will play at the ICC Olympics Qualifier.
