4 August 2025,
Monday
4 August 2025,
Monday
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has finalised the qualification process for men's cricket at the Los Angeles Olympics 2028. This decision was taken during the ICC's Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Singapore from 17 to 20 July. According to reports, the ICC has decided to determine team qualification on a regional basis. This means that the arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, will not face each other in men's cricket at the Olympics 2028.
According to The Guardian, the ICC has decided to determine qualification on a regional basis. The top-ranked teams from Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa will automatically qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics 2028. Based on this reasoning, India, Australia, Great Britain, and South Africa will occupy four out of six places.
The host nation, the USA, will also qualify. However, the ICC recently requested the entire US Cricket Board to resign under the Olympic certification framework. If this is not complied with, this spot will be given to a Caribbean country. One final spot remains, for which the ICC might organise a tournament for the fifth and final place.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and New Zealand Cricket are unhappy with the ICC's decision. Despite having a better ranking than South Africa, New Zealand will not qualify. Pakistan is also not in contention, given India's top ranking. Other strong Asian teams like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh will also miss out.
This means there will be no India versus Pakistan cricket match at the Olympics. The aim of reintroducing cricket has always been to attract Indian viewers – something the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not yet achieved. To accommodate Indian viewers, men's cricket matches will be scheduled in the morning according to Indian Standard Time. The IOC wants the biggest match – India versus Pakistan – but the ICC has decided otherwise.
