3 min readJun 29, 2026 07:10 PM IST
First published on: Jun 29, 2026 at 07:10 PM IST
The Indian women’s cricket team have qualified for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics while the men’s team will likely go through due to their T20I ranking as the International Cricket Council unveiled the qulification path to the Games on Monday. It will be the first time since 1900 that the sport will be played at the Olympics, and the first time ever that women’s cricket will make an appearance.
The T20I format will be used at the Olympics, with six nations competing for the podium places. Five of them are to be decided through the ICC T20I rankings for men and through rankings in the ongoing 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup for women. Meanwhile, the West Indies, who won the women’s T20 World Cup in 2016 and the men’s tournament in 2014 and 2016,
The Indian men’s team, the defending T20 World Cup champions, are the top-ranked side, naturally making them the highest ranked team in their continent – Asia, which is the minimum criteria for automatic qualification.
The Indian women’s team’s T20 World Cup campaign ended in the group stage but they are the highest placed team in the tournament from Asia. “The ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has confirmed the first participants for LA28, with Australia, Great Britain (via England), India and South Africa qualifying as the highest-placed teams from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania,” said the ICC.
“For the Men’s competition, five of the six nations will be decided through ICC Men’s T20I rankings, with the highest-ranked eligible teams from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania on 31 December 2026 progressing to LA28, provided they are in the top-15 of the rankings.”
The United States of America, as the host nation, are eligible for automatic qualification in both men’s and women’s events if they remain within the top 15 of the rankings at the December 31 cut-off.
“On the women’s side, 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 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,” said the ICC.
Cricket’s global governing body also announced a first-ever ICC Olympics Qualifier for the one remaining spot in the men’s and women’s events. “Six nations will compete in each of the Men’s and Women’s T20 competitions, with all matches to be played at the purpose-built cricket venue in Pomona,” it said.
Meanwhile, while the West Indies are ineligible to participate, the ICC said that it will host a “dedicated Caribbean Qualifier event to determine which NOC will represent the region at the ICC Olympics Qualifier” if they are among the eight highest-ranked teams not yet qualified by December 31.
The Indian women's team's T20 World Cup campaign ended in the group stage but they are the highest placed team in the tournament from Asia. (AP Photo) 
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