Organizers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics have confirmed that cricket’s return to the Games, 128 years after its lone prior appearance at Paris 1900, will be staged at a temporary, purpose-built venue at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, roughly 50 kilometers from downtown Los Angeles, with the men’s and women’s T20 competitions running from July 12 to July 29, 2028.
Format and scale of the tournament
Six teams per gender will compete for medals at LA28, with the tournament format allotting 90 athlete quotas for each of the men’s and women’s events, meaning nations can field 15-member squads. The women’s medal matches are scheduled for July 20, with the men’s final following on July 29, giving cricket a genuine multi-day Olympic window rather than a token appearance.
Why a temporary venue in Pomona
Rather than retrofitting an existing Major League Baseball or football stadium, organizers opted to build a temporary cricket-specific venue at the Pomona Fairgrounds, a decision officials say allows for a purpose-built playing surface and outfield dimensions suited to T20 cricket, rather than compromises required to convert a venue designed for another sport. The choice also reflects logistical considerations around the LA28 Games’ broader use of existing and temporary venues across Southern California to manage costs and construction timelines.
Qualification pathways still taking shape
With only six spots available per gender, most Full Member cricket boards are still working through how qualification will be structured, likely involving a mix of ICC world rankings and dedicated qualifying events in the two years before the Games. The limited field size has already sparked debate about which nations are likely to make the cut, with expectations that India, Australia and England will be strong favorites to qualify given their world rankings, while several Associate nations are eyeing the tournament as a rare chance for Olympic-stage exposure.
Differing views on cricket’s Olympic ambitions
Supporters within the ICC and national boards have described cricket’s Olympic inclusion as a transformative opportunity to grow the sport in non-traditional markets, particularly the United States, where Olympic exposure could accelerate the kind of grassroots interest that Major League Cricket has been trying to build since its 2023 launch. Skeptics, including some traditionalists within the English and Australian cricket establishments, have questioned whether a T20-only, six-team format truly represents the sport’s best players and traditions, and whether board-level enthusiasm for the Olympics might eventually compete with existing global tournaments like the T20 World Cup for player availability and calendar space.
The commercial and developmental stakes
American Cricket Enterprises, the body behind Major League Cricket, has pointed to the Olympic announcement as reinforcing its own long-term investment plans, which include a target of ten international-standard venues in the United States by 2030 backed by more than $150 million in committed investment. Officials argue that a home Olympic cricket tournament in 2028 could be a watershed moment for American cricket infrastructure and youth participation, echoing the kind of bump other emerging sports have experienced from home Games exposure.
What’s next
Construction planning for the Pomona venue is expected to ramp up over the next two years, alongside finalization of the qualification pathway for both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Cricket boards around the world will spend the next Olympic cycle balancing preparation for the Games against existing bilateral and multilateral commitments, with the sport’s global governing bodies keen to use LA28 as proof of concept for a longer-term Olympic future beyond 2028.