The men’s and women’s cricket qualifiers for the Los Angeles Olympics are slated for January and February 2028. These Olympic Games mark the first inclusion of cricket since St. Louis in 1904. Concurrently, the 2029 World Test Championship final is planned for June 8 to 12 in England.
These dates are part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) global events schedule, distributed after their October meeting in Dubai. Between the 2027 and 2031 ODI World Cups, the calendar includes 12 men’s, seven women’s, and five Under-19 competitions, qualifiers included. Although the ICC set many key fixtures in 2021, additional tournaments now have dates, albeit with some details still to finalise.
Initially set for 2027, the ICC shifted the Olympic qualifiers to early 2028, occurring less than six months before the LA28 Games. This update includes a modification in the qualification process, particularly for the USA women’s category directly tied to their hosting role.
Qualified women’s teams include Australia, India, South Africa, and Great Britain, by virtue of their T20 World Cup performance. The top four ICC T20I-ranked teams as of December 31, 2026, will represent Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania in the men’s category.
The ICC previously announced that as the host nation, the USA could participate in both men’s and women’s events if ranked within the top 15 during the qualification window of June 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026. The USA men’s team currently holds the 13th spot, ensuring their participation, whereas the women’s team risks exclusion due to their lower ranking.
In case the USA women do not meet the ranking criteria by the end of 2026, the ICC has updated plans to assign their slot based on the Women’s Champions Trophy standings, to be hosted in India in February 2027. “If the host (USA) does not meet the ranking criteria by 31 Dec 2026, that spot is reallocated based on the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 standings (cut-off 1 March 2027),” confirmed the ICC in their October communication to member nations.
The venues for the Olympic qualifiers, each featuring eight teams, remain undecided. These teams will comprise the highest-ranked non-automatically qualified teams, along with the Caribbean Regional Qualifier winner.
Looking ahead to late 2028, the Women’s and Men’s T20 World Cups will occur nearly back-to-back, hosted in Pakistan and Australia/New Zealand, respectively. The Women’s tournament kicks off from September 7 to October 1 followed by the Men’s from October 12 to November 12.
Moreover, the 2030 Men’s T20 World Cup window has shifted from June to July-August, to be hosted by England, Ireland, and Scotland.
