Cricket Returns to Olympics After 128 Years: 2028 LA Games to Feature Just Six Teams

Cricket is finally making its long-awaited return to the world’s biggest sporting stage — the Olympic Games — after a massive gap of 128 years. The sport will be featured in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and while the excitement is palpable among cricket fans globally, the process of team selection has stirred debate and disappointment in some quarters. The format chosen for the Olympics is T20, and only six teams will be allowed to participate in each of the men’s and women’s tournaments. Although the final framework for qualification has not yet been officially confirmed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), early reports suggest that the selection will be based on regional rankings — a move that could impact traditional cricketing powerhouses like Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh.

According to *The Guardian*, the ICC has adopted a regional qualification model, a decision reportedly taken in alignment with the preferences of the Olympic Committee. This model would see the top-ranked team from each continent — Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa — qualify directly, along with the host nation, the United States, representing the Americas. This leaves only one open slot for global qualification, the method for which has not yet been revealed. As per current rankings, India is set to qualify from Asia, Australia from Oceania, Great Britain from Europe, and South Africa from Africa. The U.S., despite being ranked 17th globally, would automatically qualify as hosts. The sixth team is still under discussion, but this structure means teams like Pakistan and New Zealand, despite their high global rankings, may miss out entirely due to the one-team-per-continent rule.

The Olympic Committee's intent behind this system is to ensure global representation and inclusivity — giving each region a fair chance rather than letting top-ranked nations dominate. While noble in vision, the execution may prove problematic, especially for regions like the Caribbean. The West Indies, which compete in ICC events as a combined team made up of players from multiple nations, may face a challenge in Olympic participation due to Olympic rules requiring representation by single nations. This raises uncertainty over whether individual Caribbean nations would qualify separately or as a collective, and whether they could even be eligible under Olympic governance.

Another point of contention is that New Zealand, currently ranked fourth in the T20 format, could miss out if Australia — second-ranked and from the same Oceania region — secures the spot. Pakistan, ranked eighth, is similarly affected. Since India tops the Asian charts, and only one team from Asia would qualify directly, lower-ranked teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh would have to hope for a wildcard or qualifying slot. This system, although favoring continental diversity, may end up excluding some of the game’s most competitive sides.

The ICC’s annual general meeting in Singapore this month was where the regional selection model was discussed and reportedly finalized. The body has yet to release an official statement confirming the method, and when contacted by *The Guardian*, ICC officials declined to comment on the qualification structure. Meanwhile, the women's cricket tournament at the 2028 Olympics will use the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup as the basis for qualification, which seems to be a more performance-oriented path compared to the regional quota system planned for the men’s event.

Cricket last appeared in the Olympics in 1900 in Paris, where only one match was played between Great Britain and France. Britain won the gold medal, and cricket was then discontinued as an Olympic sport. Now, with its inclusion in the Los Angeles Games, the sport gets a second chance to prove its global appeal. While the return is widely celebrated, the complexities surrounding team selection highlight the challenges of integrating a traditionally non-Olympic sport into a structure focused on equal representation and manageable scheduling. For cricket fans and nations left out, the coming years will be crucial in lobbying for changes or alternate pathways into the Olympic spotlight.