DUBAI (Web Desk) – The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially unveiled the match window for the men’s and women’s T20 tournaments at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, marking the sport’s return to the Games for the first time since 1900.
The cricket event will run from July 12 to 29, 2028, with matches to be held at the Pomona Fairplex, about 50 kilometers from downtown LA.
Each competition will feature six teams per gender, with 15-player squads permitted under the 90-athlete cap for both men and women’s events.
The women’s gold medal match will be held on July 20, while the men’s final will close the tournament on July 29.
In the revamped format, the group stage will see each team play two opponents from the opposite pool. For instance, the top team in Group A will face the second and third in Group B and vice versa.
The top two teams overall will qualify for the gold medal clash, while third and fourth-placed sides will battle it out for bronze. Match days will mostly feature double-headers, with start times set for 9:00 AM and 6:30 PM (local time).
The reintroduction of cricket at the Olympic level is being hailed as a major breakthrough for the sport’s global expansion, especially with growing interest in emerging markets.
The qualification criteria for the six available slots are yet to be finalized, though it’s widely expected that ICC T20I rankings will be used to determine the participating nations. Final decisions will be taken at the ICC Annual Conference in Singapore from July 17.
A major question that remains is whether the host country, USA, will be granted automatic qualification, potentially leaving just five places for other nations.
The LA28 organizing committee has said that a detailed schedule and gender order of medal events will be released later this year.