The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to approve the qualification system for cricket’s return to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with the proposed format now largely agreed ahead of its next board meetings.
Under the plan, the men’s and women’s competitions will each feature six teams, with qualification based mainly on regional rankings.
The current proposal would give automatic places to the top-ranked team from Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa, while host nation United States would qualify directly as the representative from the Americas.
The sixth and final spot in each competition is expected to be decided through a global qualifier, likely to be held in 2027. That event would feature the highest-ranked teams that fail to secure automatic qualification through their regions.
The model is now expected to be used for both the men’s and women’s tournaments. An earlier idea to use the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup as the pathway for the women’s event appears to have been dropped in favor of a unified system.
If approved, the structure would hand the United States automatic entry in both competitions. That outcome has drawn some debate, particularly around the women’s event, where questions remain over whether the American side is currently strong enough to compete against the world’s top teams.
The ICC had been expected to finalize the issue during its quarterly meetings in Doha, but those meetings were postponed because of regional instability linked to the Iran conflict. Informal online discussions took place instead, though the key decisions were left pending.
The matter is now expected to return to the table later this month when the ICC board and Chief Executives’ Committee are likely to meet in person. Bangkok is being discussed as a possible venue for the rescheduled meetings.
The governing body is keen to settle the Olympic qualification process before its annual conference in Edinburgh in July, where major policy decisions are rarely finalized.
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