(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Qualification Path Confirmed for Cricket at LA Olympics 2028
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is close to finalizing the qualification system for cricket’s return at the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, with key details already agreed ahead of upcoming board meetings.
According to the proposed format, both the men’s and women’s tournaments will feature six teams each. Qualification will primarily be based on regional rankings, ensuring representation from across the cricketing world.
Under this structure, the top-ranked teams from Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa will secure automatic qualification. The host nation, the United States, will also qualify directly as the representative from the Americas region.
The sixth and final spot in each category will likely be decided through a global qualifier tournament, expected to take place in 2027. This event will include the highest-ranked teams that did not qualify automatically through their regions.
The ICC is expected to apply the same qualification model for both men’s and women’s competitions, opting for a uniform system instead of earlier proposals that linked women’s qualification to the T20 World Cup.
While the automatic qualification of the United States has sparked some debate—particularly regarding competitiveness in the women’s category—the ICC aims to maintain regional balance and global participation.
The final decision was initially expected during ICC meetings in Doha but was delayed due to regional circumstances. The matter is now likely to be revisited later this month, with Bangkok being considered as a possible venue.
The ICC intends to finalize the qualification process before its annual conference in July, ensuring clarity well ahead of the Olympic event.
