LA 2028 Olympics cricket qualifiers moved to January-February 2028: Pakistan's route to the Games

The qualifying tournaments for cricket at the LA 2028 Olympics are now expected in January and February 2028, not in 2027 as first planned, according to a global events list the ICC shared with member boards after its October meetings in Dubai. ESPNcricinfo first reported the window, and it was carried by IANS and PTI via Business Standard. That leaves less than six months between the qualifiers and the Games, which open in Los Angeles in July 2028. Venues have not been named.

For Pakistan this matters directly: unless the men's team finishes 2026 as the highest-ranked Asian side in the ICC T20I rankings, ahead of India, its road to the Olympics runs through that qualifier.

How Olympic cricket qualification works

Six men's and six women's teams will play T20 cricket at a purpose-built ground in Pomona, with squads of 15, the ICC confirmed in June.

The eight-team qualifiers will be made up of the seven highest-ranked teams not already in, plus the winner of a Caribbean qualifier. West Indies cannot enter as one team because it is not an Olympic nation, so its countries play off for one place.

What it means for Pakistan

• Men: only one Asian side gets a direct place. Pakistan need to be the top-ranked Asian team on 31 December 2026, or win the qualifier in early 2028.
• Women: India has already taken Asia's continental place, so Pakistan women's only route is the qualifier, and they would need to be among the seven highest-ranked teams not yet qualified to get there.
• The calendar: the qualifier comes about seven months before Pakistan hosts the Women's T20 World Cup 2028 from 7 September to 1 October.

Cricket was last played at the Olympics in Paris in 1900. Follow Pakistan's fixtures and results on our Pakistan women's team page, and see what a trip to the US would cost in rupees with our dollar converter.