Cricket at the Olympics: Is It Really Happening in 2028, and What About 2032?

Cricket at the Olympics: Is It Really Happening in 2028, and What About 2032?

By Cricket Daily

After more than a century away, cricket is coming back to the Olympic Games. The sport will feature at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, its first appearance since the year 1900. For a game with more than a billion fans, this is one of the biggest moments in its modern history, and it opens the door to an even bigger prize down the line at the 2032 Games in Brisbane.

If you are new to cricket or new to how the Olympics works, this guide answers the two questions everyone is asking. Is cricket actually becoming an Olympic sport, and will it stay in the Games for 2032 and beyond.

Is cricket becoming an Olympic sport?

Yes. Cricket is officially confirmed for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee, the body that runs the Olympics, approved the sport's inclusion back in October 2023, adding it as one of five new sports for the LA Games alongside baseball and softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash.

This is not cricket's first Olympic appearance, but it is close. The sport was played at the Paris Games in 1900, when a team representing Great Britain beat a mostly British team representing France in a one-off match. After that, cricket vanished from the Olympics for 128 years. So while 2028 is technically a return, for everyone alive today it will feel like a debut.

What format will Olympic cricket be?

Olympic cricket will be played in the T20 format. If you are new to the sport, cricket comes in several lengths. Some matches last five days, while T20 is the shortest and fastest version, with each team batting for a maximum of 20 overs. A game is done in about three hours, which makes it perfect for a fast-moving event like the Olympics where organisers want punchy, television-friendly contests.

Both men's and women's tournaments will be held, which matters, because it means women's cricket gets an equal Olympic stage from the very first Games. Each tournament will feature six teams, and every team can name a squad of 15 players. In total the cricket programme will run 28 matches across the two competitions.

When and where will cricket be played at LA 2028?

The cricket competition will run from 12 July to 29 July 2028. The medal matches are scheduled for 20 July for the women and 29 July for the men, so the women's tournament finishes first and the men's event closes out the cricket programme.

The matches will be staged at a purpose-built venue in Pomona, a city roughly 50 kilometres outside central Los Angeles. Building a dedicated ground says a lot about the ambition here, since cricket needs a very different playing surface from most Olympic sports.

How will teams qualify for the Olympics?

This is the part still being finalised, so here is what is confirmed and what is not. Each six-team field will include the host nation, the United States, along with the top-ranked teams from cricket's global regions, which are Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. At least one place is expected to be decided through a separate qualifying tournament. The exact qualification pathway, including how the final spots are filled, has not been fully announced yet.

That regional approach is deliberate. It spreads the sport across continents rather than simply handing places to the traditional powers, which fits the Olympic goal of growing cricket in new markets. For reference, the current T20 world champions are India in the men's game and New Zealand in the women's game, so both will fancy their chances of arriving as favourites.

One storyline worth watching involves Great Britain. The England and Wales Cricket Board has held early talks with Cricket Scotland about entering a combined Team GB side, since Olympic cricket is organised by nation in a different way from the usual international setup.

Why is cricket joining the Olympics now?

The simple answer is money and reach, on both sides. For cricket, the Olympics offers access to millions of new fans and, importantly, government funding in countries where Olympic sports receive state support. For the Olympics, cricket offers a direct line to the huge and passionate audience in South Asia, plus a fast-growing fan base in the United States.

America is central to this. Cricket is expanding quickly there, helped by part of the 2024 T20 World Cup being staged in the country and by the rise of Major League Cricket, a domestic T20 competition with teams in cities including Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas. Putting cricket in an American Olympics is a bet that the sport can win over a new market while the world is watching.

Will cricket be in the 2032 Olympics?

Cricket is not yet officially confirmed for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, but it is widely expected to feature, and the signs are strongly positive. The International Cricket Council has begun formal discussions with the Brisbane 2032 organisers about including the sport, and cricket's successful entry at LA 2028 has made its continuation at the next Games look very likely.

There are good reasons for the optimism. Brisbane is in Australia, one of cricket's heartland nations, so home enthusiasm and existing infrastructure are not in doubt. Reports suggest the cricket matches could even be among the last events held at the famous Gabba ground in Brisbane before it is redeveloped, with a new large-capacity stadium planned for the city. Nothing is signed yet, but if cricket delivers strong crowds and viewing figures in Los Angeles, its place in Brisbane should follow.

What it means for the sport

For cricket, Olympic inclusion is a genuine turning point rather than a novelty. An Olympic gold medal instantly becomes one of the biggest honours a cricketer can win, sitting alongside a World Cup. It gives smaller cricket nations a real target to build towards, since the regional qualification route rewards teams that might never reach a traditional World Cup. And it hands the women's game an equal platform on the world's largest sporting stage from day one.

The bigger prize is growth. Being an Olympic sport helps cricket attract funding, media attention, and young players in countries where it has always been a minor game. If LA 2028 goes well and Brisbane 2032 follows, the next generation could grow up seeing cricket not as a sport for a handful of nations, but as a truly global Olympic event.

Frequently asked questions

Is cricket in the 2028 Olympics? Yes. Cricket is officially confirmed for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, in the T20 format, with six-team men's and women's tournaments running from 12 to 29 July 2028.

When was cricket last in the Olympics? In 1900 at the Paris Games, when Great Britain beat France in a single match. LA 2028 will be its first Olympic appearance in 128 years.

What format is Olympic cricket? T20, the shortest version of the game, with each side batting for up to 20 overs and matches lasting about three hours.

Will cricket be in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics? It is not officially confirmed yet, but it is widely expected. The ICC is in active discussions with the Brisbane 2032 organisers, and cricket's strong debut at LA 2028 makes inclusion very likely.

Which teams will play Olympic cricket? Six teams per gender, including host nation the United States plus the top teams from cricket's five global regions, with at least one spot decided by a qualifying tournament. The full qualification details are still to be announced.