Women in Blue secure place in 2028 LA Olympics as ICC and IOC announce qualification pathway

The Indian women’s cricket team has secured a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while the men’s side is in a strong position to make the cut.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the men’s and women’s cricket competitions – which will return to the Olympics after 128 years – will feature six teams each.

In the women’s event, Australia, Great Britain (via England), India and South Africa have qualified as the highest-placed eligible finishers from Oceania, Europe, Asia, and Africa respectively, based on their performances in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Four places in the men’s competition will be decided through the ICC Men’s T20I rankings, with qualification spots reserved for the highest-ranked eligible teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania as of December 31, 2026.

Reigning world champion India, currently the top-ranked men’s T20I side, leads the race for qualification. Pakistan, the next highest-ranked Asian team, is currently sixth.

The USA, as the host nation, is eligible for automatic qualification in both the men’s and women’s competitions, subject to meeting the requirement of being ranked among the top 15 ICC T20I teams at any point from June 30, 2026 to December 31, 2026.

Qualifiers for final spot

The sixth and final spot in both competitions will be decided through the ICC Olympics Qualifier 2027, which will feature eight teams in each event.

The West Indies is ineligible to participate in the Olympic Games as it represents multiple Caribbean nations and does not have recognition as an IOC National Olympic Committee (NOC). However, if the West Indies men’s or women’s teams are among the eight highest-ranked non-qualified sides by December 31, 2026, a dedicated Caribbean qualifier will be conducted to determine the nation that will compete in the ICC Olympics Qualifier.

All cricket matches at Los Angeles 2028 will be played at a purpose-built cricket venue in Pomona, located in Los Angeles County.