After over a century-long absence, cricket is officially set to return to the Olympic Games in 2028, with both men's and women's T20 tournaments featuring six teams each. The announcement was confirmed on Wednesday by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The LA 2028 Games will showcase cricket in its most explosive form—the T20 format. Each of the two competitions will see six teams vying for the coveted Olympic gold, with a total of 90 athlete slots allocated per gender. This allows all participating nations to field full 15-member squads for the event.
IOC Executive Board Approves Cricket's Inclusion
The inclusion of cricket in LA 2028 was part of a wider proposal that also brought in four other sports—baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash. The IOC Executive Board gave its final nod on Wednesday, confirming the event programme and athlete quotas for the Games.
India and New Zealand Enter as Current T20 World Champions
Heading into LA 2028, India’s men’s team and New Zealand’s women’s side hold the title of reigning T20 world champions. With global interest in the shortest format of the game soaring, the Olympic stage is expected to amplify the sport’s appeal even further.
Rohit Sharma was the captain of Men's team while the White ferns were led by Sophie Devine
No Venue Finalized Yet, Schedule to Be Announced
While cricket’s Olympic inclusion is now set in stone, the venues for the matches in Los Angeles are still under consideration. A finalized schedule will be revealed closer to the start of the Games.
Global Representation: Full and Associate ICC Members
The ICC (International Cricket Council) consists of 12 full member countries. Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe have been granted full member status. There are also an additional 94 associate member countries which indicate how big a sport cricket is in the world.
Cricket's Increased Presence in Multi-Sport Competitions
The return of cricket at the Olympic Games is consistent with the increasing involvement of the sport in global multisport events. In 1998, cricket was introduced for the first time in the Commonwealth Games through a men's tournament held in Kuala Lumpur. More recently, the women's cricket played at the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham in 2022 brought the community-wide focus to women's cricket.
T20 cricket events have also been a constant program of the Asian Games, with both men's and women's tournaments being played in 2010, 2014, and 2023. The most recent such event was held in Hangzhou, with 14 teams competing in the men's draw, while nine nations took part in the women's event.
Pakistan may face omission
Pakistan can face the heat of missing out on such a prestigious event if IOC decides to keep teams according to T20I rankings given the current rankings Pakistan is ranked 7th and only 6 teams will qualify for LA 2028 Olympics and thus Pakistan can miss the bus.
1. India – 20170
2. Australia – 12417
3. England – 12688
4. New Zealand – 14652
5. West Indies – 14587
6. South Africa – 11345
7. Pakistan – 13845
8. Sri Lanka – 11159
9. Bangladesh – 12797
10. Afghanistan – 9322