The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided that six teams will be part of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics where cricket is set to return for the first time since 1900. 6 teams – men’s and women’s each – will feature in the event. While there were discussions earlier about picking the participating teams based on T20I rankings, that has now been shelved, as per reports.
How many teams will be part of LA Olympics 2028?
As per Times of India, a veteran administrator who was a part of the ICC’s Board Meeting in Dubai revealed that the six teams will be decided based on the top-ranked country from each region. He said that while the details of the process will be shared by the ICC soon, the roadmap has been more or less finalized.
“There have been discussions around the participation of teams, and it has been decided that the six teams will come through the top-ranked team from each region/continent, while the sixth comes from the global qualifier. The details will be shared by the ICC in due course, but the roadmap has more or less been frozen,” he said.
No India vs Pakistan at LA Olympics 2028?
As per the arrangement, the top-ranked countries from five regions will qualify for the LA 2028 Olympics. If it is based on the current rankings, then India will qualify from Asia, Australia from Oceania, England from Europe, South Africa from Africa. There will be a toss up between West Indies and USA for the fifth spot, with the latter probably having the chance to claim a spot via automatic qualification as hosts of the event.
“The Board reviewed the ICC’s ongoing engagement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28), as cricket deepens its footprint in the global multisport landscape. At LA28, both the men’s and women’s T20 events will feature six teams each, comprising 28 matches in total,” read the media release.
The sixth spot, which will be decided via a global qualifier, is the only chance of Pakistan or other sides making it to the LA 2028 Olympics. Since there are no details provided about the global qualifier yet, it looks quite unlikely that an India vs Pakistan clash could take place.
