Cricket is all set for a historic return to the Olympic stage at the LA28 Games, with organisers officially confirming the cricket schedule at Olympics 2028. Matches will kick off on July 12, 2028, at Fairgrounds Stadium in Pomena, located about 50km from Los Angeles. Fans can look forward to the medal matches on July 20 and 29, marking cricket’s only second appearance in the Olympics after its debut in Paris back in 1900.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved five new sports for the LA28 Games: cricket, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash. Among them, cricket’s comeback is perhaps the most anticipated, driven by the sport’s soaring global following.
According to details released by LA28 organisers, the cricket tournament will follow the T20 format, featuring six teams each in the men’s and women’s categories. That makes a total of 12 teams and around 180 athletes. Each team can register a squad of 15 players, with 90 athlete quotas allocated for men and 90 for women. There will be no matches scheduled on July 14 and 21, and most matchdays will be double-headers to fit the compact Olympic timetable.
Cricket’s only previous appearance at the Olympics was over a century ago, in 1900, when Great Britain defeated France in a two-day contest to claim the gold medal. The cricket schedule at Olympics 2028 brings the sport back after 128 years, reflecting its immense rise in popularity, especially following successful global events like the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup jointly hosted by the USA and West Indies.
In recent years, cricket has seen increased traction in the United States. Venues like Grand Prairie, Lauderhill, and New York successfully hosted multiple World Cup fixtures, strengthening the case for including the sport at the Olympic level.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass hailed the LA28 Games as an opportunity to celebrate every neighbourhood and build a lasting legacy. “When the world comes here for these Games, we will highlight every neighbourhood as we host a Games for all and work to ensure it leaves a monumental legacy,” she stated. Mayor Bass also highlighted community-focused initiatives like PlayLA, which have recorded over a million enrollments so far.
The return of cricket alongside sports like baseball/softball and flag football underlines LA28’s vision to make the Olympics more diverse and globally inclusive. The blend of traditional and emerging sports aims to attract broader audiences while delivering economic and cultural benefits to the host city.
As cricket fans worldwide eagerly await, the Olympics cricket matches in 2028 promise a fast-paced, festival-like atmosphere in the T20 format. The official LA28 cricket schedule marks a new chapter, showing how the Olympics continues to evolve to reflect the world’s sporting passions.
