Cricket is returning to the Olympics in 2028, and the United States men’s team is in — but the women’s side has been left on the sidelines. A qualification pathway approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirms that the US, along with reigning world champions India, Britain, and host nation South Africa, will take part in the men’s Twenty20 tournament at the Los Angeles Games.
According to a document distributed to National Olympic Committees and international federations, one team from each of the world’s five continents will earn a berth based on International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings as of December 31, 2026. The US will represent the Americas in the men’s draw, as long as it remains within the top 15 in the ICC rankings.
In the Oceania region, Australia and New Zealand will compete against each other for the single available spot. Because the IOC does not recognize West Indies as a qualifying entity, a separate Caribbean regional qualifier will be held to determine which individual country represents that area. That Caribbean representative will then join seven other teams — the highest-ranked sides not yet qualified — in a global qualifying tournament, with the winner rounding out the six-team field in Los Angeles. England’s rankings were used to determine Britain’s inclusion.
The women’s competition will also feature six teams, but the US won’t be among them. Australia, Britain, South Africa, and India have already locked up spots by being the top-performing continental teams in the current World Cup. The US was excluded because neither the American team nor any other Americas squad appears in the ICC’s top 15 women’s rankings.
A fifth women’s berth will be awarded after next year’s Champions Trophy, going to the highest-ranked T20 team outside the four nations that have already qualified. As with the men’s bracket, the winner of a Caribbean regional qualifier will enter an eight-team global qualifying event, with the victor claiming the final spot for the LA 2028 Games.
