The International Cricket Council has officially finalized the schedule for the men’s and women’s qualification tournaments ahead of the upcoming Los Angeles Olympic Games. Cricket is set to return to the premier multi-sport event for the first time since 1904, with the final qualification battles now slated to take place in January and February 2028, just months before the Games begin.
During recent board meetings in Dubai, the governing body circulated a comprehensive global events list covering all major tournaments scheduled between the 2027 and 2031 ODI World Cups. While several windows had already been locked down years prior, the latest update assigns strict dates to high-profile fixtures including the 2029 World Test Championship final in England and back-to-back T20 World Cups in 2028.
- Olympic Qualifiers Shifted: The men’s and women’s qualification events for LA28 have been moved from 2027 to early 2028.
- WTC Final Dates: The 2029 World Test Championship final is scheduled to run from June 8 to June 12 in England.
- Host Qualification Criteria: USA women face strict ranking hurdles ahead of December 2026, with the Women’s Champions Trophy now acting as a backup qualification route.
- Back-to-Back World Cups: The 2028 Women’s and Men’s T20 World Cups will be held in quick succession with only an eleven-day gap between them.
Olympic Qualification Pathways and USA Status
Qualification formats have also seen essential updates regarding host nation entries. While the USA men’s team comfortably sits inside the top tier of T20I rankings to secure direct entry, the women’s team faces a tougher challenge. Under revised guidelines, if the USA women fail to meet the required ranking threshold by the end of December 2026, the automatic spot will be decided via the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy standings in early 2027.
Busy Global Calendar Ahead
The 2028 calendar will feature an intense sequence of matches. The Women’s T20 World Cup is set to take place in Pakistan from September 7 to October 1, immediately followed by the expanded 20-team men’s tournament hosted across Australia and New Zealand from October 12 to November 12. Additionally, the ICC shifted the window for the 2030 Men’s T20 World Cup to July and August.
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