The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have unveiled the qualification pathway for cricket's long-awaited return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028, including the introduction of the inaugural ICC Olympics Qualifier.

Six teams will compete in both the men's and women's T20 tournaments at LA28, with Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania each guaranteed one representative.

Five of the six qualification spots in each competition will be determined through existing ICC events and the ICC T20 International rankings, in line with the ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP). The sixth and final berth in both tournaments will be decided at the newly created ICC Olympics Qualifier, scheduled for 2027.

The ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 has already confirmed the first four women's qualifiers. Australia, Great Britain (represented by England), India and South Africa secured their places as the highest-ranked eligible finishers from Oceania, Europe, Asia and Africa respectively, with qualification limited to one nation per continent.

The West Indies, despite competing as a full ICC member, are ineligible for Olympic qualification because they represent multiple Caribbean nations rather than a single IOC-recognized National Olympic Committee (NOC). However, if either the men's or women's West Indies team finishes among the eight highest-ranked teams yet to qualify by December 31, 2026, a Caribbean qualifying tournament will determine which regional NOC advances to the ICC Olympics Qualifier.

Host nation USA will be eligible for automatic qualification in both the men's and women's competitions, provided they reach the top 15 of the respective ICC T20I rankings at any point between June 30 and December 31, 2026.

If the USA women fail to meet that requirement, their automatic place will instead be awarded to the highest-ranked non-qualified nation in the ICC Women's T20I rankings as of March 1, 2027. For the men's competition, if the USA do not qualify automatically, the berth will pass to the next highest-ranked eligible team as of December 31, 2026.

The remaining automatic qualification places in the men's tournament will be awarded to the highest-ranked eligible teams from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania based on the ICC Men's T20I rankings at the end of 2026.

The final place in both competitions will be determined through the eight-team ICC Olympics Qualifier in 2027. The remaining seven participants in each qualifier will be the highest-ranked eligible nations that have not already secured Olympic qualification. The ICC will announce the dates and host venue for the qualifying tournament at a later stage.

At LA28, each nation will name a squad of 15 players. The six teams in each tournament will be split into two groups of three, with each side playing the other teams in its group before facing two cross-group opponents who finished in different positions.

The top two teams at the conclusion of the group stage will advance to the gold medal match, while the third- and fourth-placed teams will contest the bronze medal.

A total of 28 matches will be played across the men's and women's competitions, all at the purpose-built cricket venue in Pomona, California.

Under the Olympic Charter, each International Federation is responsible for establishing the qualification criteria and competition regulations for its respective sport.