Reason behind absence of New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in the 2028 LA Olympics' historic cricket event
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a continental qualification system for the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics cricket tournament, which is scheduled to take place from July 14 to 29, 2028. This system will allocate spots based on continental regions, ensuring representation from each continent among the six teams competing.
As hosts, the United States is expected to qualify automatically, despite currently being ranked 17th globally. However, the U.S. team's participation is uncertain due to ongoing governance issues within USA Cricket, whose suspension by the ICC and lack of recognition by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) could jeopardize its Olympic involvement unless serious organizational reforms occur.
The Americas’ representative aside from the U.S. (or the U.S. itself) depends on resolving USA Cricket’s governance problems and the ICC’s final ratification of the qualification pathways. The sixth team’s identity remains under discussion as of mid-2025.
Each of the six teams, both men's and women's, will need to qualify via their respective continental pathways. The ICC is proposing a continental qualification system, with a final decision expected at the ICC's quarterly meeting in October.
Cricket West Indies has proposed two options for West Indies representation: an internal tournament among Caribbean nations or a global qualification pathway involving multiple ICC regions. The ICC is yet to make a decision on this matter.
A global qualifier is being planned to decide one additional team, though the structure is still under review. Based on current ICC T20 rankings, India (Asia), Australia (Oceania), and England (Europe) are projected to qualify. Under the current proposal, the top six teams based on rankings at a cut-off date have been replaced by an inclusive model aligning more closely with the Olympic spirit.
The IOC favors a model with representation from each continent, as stated by ECB Chairman Richard Thompson. The inclusion of cricket in the Olympics must conform to IOC rules emphasizing global representation over rankings alone. The U.S. women's team is not yet within the top 20 rankings, and the Americas spot may go to either the United States or a Caribbean island nation.
The U.S. men's cricket squad largely consists of residents who are not naturalized citizens. Cricket will be front and center in the 2036 Olympics, as per Thompson's statement. The ICC aims to expand the number of participants to 8-10 teams for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, and potentially 10-12 teams by 2036.
Great Britain Cricket, a collaboration between the ECB, Cricket Scotland, and Cricket Ireland, allows players from England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland to represent Great Britain. The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will mark cricket's return to the Olympics for the first time since Paris 1900.
The continental qualification system will determine the six participating teams for cricket, ensuring a diverse and exciting tournament for cricket fans around the world. The road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is set, but the journey to qualification remains uncertain for many teams. Stay tuned for updates as the ICC finalizes the qualification pathways and the teams prepare for the global stage.
The continental qualification system will require each team, both men's and women's, to qualify via their respective pathways, ensuring a diverse and exciting tournament for sports fans. The future of the Americas’ representative, as well as the sixth team, is dependent on resolving governance issues within USA Cricket and the ICC's final ratification of the qualification pathways.
