The International Cricket Council (ICC) has scheduled the men’s and women’s cricket qualifiers for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics in January and February 2028, moving both competitions from their originally planned 2027 window, according to a report by Cricinfo.
The revised schedule forms part of a wider ICC global events calendar circulated to member boards following meetings in Dubai in October. It also introduces changes to the Olympic qualification process, particularly for hosts United States, while establishing dates for several major international tournaments through 2031.
Cricket will return to the Olympic programme at LA28 for the first time since 1900, with six teams competing in each of the men’s and women’s events. The qualifying tournaments will now take place less than six months before the Games, although their venues have yet to be confirmed.
ICC expands its global tournament calendar
The latest scheduling exercise covers 12 men’s events, seven women’s events and five Under-19 competitions, including qualification tournaments, between the 2027 and 2031 ODI World Cups.
Several of the ICC’s major tournaments had already been allocated to host countries in 2021. The October calendar builds on those earlier decisions by assigning dates to additional competitions, although some operational details remain unresolved.
The ICC has also scheduled the 2029 World Test Championship (WTC) final in England from June 8 to 12, providing a confirmed window for another major event in the international calendar.
USA Women face revised Olympic qualification criteria
Under the host-nation eligibility requirements announced in June 2026, the United States must have appeared among the top 15 teams in the relevant ICC T20I rankings at some point between June 30 and December 31, 2026, to qualify automatically.
The USA men’s team, currently ranked 13th, has satisfied that requirement. However, the women’s team, ranked 19th, remains at risk of missing out on automatic qualification.
The ICC originally established a rankings-based mechanism for reallocating the host-nation places if either American team failed to meet the eligibility threshold.
In its official media release on June 29, 2026, the ICC stated: “Should the USA Women’s team not meet that criteria, a fifth automatic qualification spot will be awarded to the highest-placed non-qualified nation in the ICC T20I rankings from any continent as of 1 March 2027. If the USA’s men’s team do not meet that criteria, the fifth automatic qualification spot will be allocated to the next-highest-ranked nation from any continent that has not already qualified by 31 December 2026.”
The ICC has since changed the procedure specifically governing the women’s host-nation berth.
Under the updated criteria communicated to member boards in October, if USA Women fail to satisfy the ranking requirement by December 31, 2026, the available automatic qualification place will instead be determined by the standings at the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy.
That tournament is scheduled to take place in India in February 2027, with March 1, 2027, serving as the cut-off date for determining the relevant standings.
Olympic qualification pathways take shape
The ICC has established separate direct qualification criteria for the men’s and women’s Olympic competitions, with continental representation forming a central part of the selection process.
Australia, India, South Africa and Great Britain have already secured places in the women’s competition as the highest-ranked eligible teams from their respective continents, based on performances at the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup.
For the men’s competition, the highest-ranked eligible nations from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania will qualify directly based on the ICC Men’s T20I rankings as of December 31, 2026.
Both qualifying tournaments will feature eight teams, comprising the seven highest-ranked eligible nations outside the automatic qualifiers and the winner of the Caribbean Regional Qualifier. The ICC will determine the participating teams using the relevant international rankings.
ICC confirms back-to-back T20 World Cups
Beyond the Olympic qualification process, the ICC’s updated calendar establishes consecutive windows for the women’s and men’s T20 World Cups in 2028.
Pakistan will host the 12-team ICC Women’s T20 World Cup from September 7 to October 1, 2028. The 20-team ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will follow in Australia and New Zealand from October 12 to November 12, leaving an 11-day interval between the tournaments.
The calendar also confirms a change to the scheduled window for the 2030 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Originally planned for June, the 20-team competition has been moved to July-August 2030. England, Ireland and Scotland will jointly host the tournament, having previously been awarded hosting rights.
Among the outstanding arrangements are the host venues for the two LA28 Olympic qualifying tournaments, with the ICC yet to finalise their locations.
