ICC schedules LA Olympics qualifiers for January-February 2028

The International Cricket Council has scheduled the men's and women's qualifying tournaments for the Los Angeles Olympics in January and February 2028, shifting them from the originally planned 2027 window. The qualifiers will now take place less than six months before the start of the LA28 Games, which will be the first Olympics to feature cricket since 1904.

The ICC shared a global events list with its member boards following meetings held in October in Dubai. That list also confirms the 2029 World Test Championship final, to be played in England from June 8 to 12, along with dates for the women's and men's T20 World Cups in 2028. In total, the calendar currently covers 12 men's, seven women's and five Under-19 events, including qualifiers, scheduled between the 2027 and 2031 ODI World Cups. Several marquee events had already been locked in by the ICC in 2021, but multiple tournaments have now been assigned specific dates even as some details are yet to be confirmed.

How have the direct qualification criteria been updated?

The ICC had originally planned to hold the Olympics qualifiers in 2027 before moving them to early 2028. While the schedule and tournament structure for the six teams set to participate at the Olympics had been announced in June, the ICC has now revised the direct-entry criteria, particularly for host nation USA in the women's category.

In the women's draw, Australia, India, South Africa and Great Britain have already qualified as the highest-ranked eligible teams from their respective continents, with their standings determined by performance at the T20 World Cup earlier this year. For the men's category, the top four teams on the ICC T20I rankings as on December 31, 2026, will earn direct slots as the highest-ranked eligible nations from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

USA, as hosts, were eligible to participate in both the men's and women's events provided they finished inside the top 15 of the respective T20I rankings at any point during the qualification window from June 30, 2026 to December 31, 2026. The USA men's team are currently ranked 13th, which secures their direct entry, but the women's team, ranked 19th, are at risk of missing out under the updated norms.

The ICC had previously stated that if USA Women failed to meet the host qualification criteria, the fifth automatic spot would go to the highest-placed non-qualified nation in the T20I rankings from any continent as of March 1, 2027. However, the ICC has now revised that rule, tying the fifth slot to the standings in the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy, to be held in India in February 2027.

"If the host (USA) does not meet the ranking criteria by 31 Dec 2026, that spot is reallocated based on the ICC Women's Champions Trophy 2027 standings (cut-off 1 March 2027)," the ICC noted as quoted by Cricinfo.

What are the confirmed details for the qualifiers and upcoming T20 World Cups?

The ICC has not yet finalised venues for the men's and women's Olympics qualifiers. Each event will feature eight nations, comprising the seven highest-ranked teams outside the automatic qualifiers plus the winner of the Caribbean Regional Qualifier. The eight teams for each qualifier will be confirmed by the ICC based on international rankings.

The women's and men's T20 World Cups in 2028 are scheduled to be played back-to-back with only an 11-day gap between them. The Women's T20 World Cup, featuring 12 teams, is set to be held in Pakistan from September 7 to October 1, while the 20-team men's tournament is scheduled in Australia and New Zealand from October 12 to November 12.

Separately, the ICC has shifted the window for the 2030 Men's T20 World Cup to July-August, moving away from the original June plan. The 20-team tournament had been allotted to England, Ireland and Scotland, and the revised window reflects the updated scheduling approach across the broader ICC calendar.