Cricket is finally making a comeback to the Olympics after more than a century, with the T20 format included in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The tournament will feature six teams each in the men’s and women’s categories, with matches starting on July 12—two days before the opening ceremony. All games will be played at a brand-new stadium in Pomona, located about 30 miles from the athletes’ village in Los Angeles.
For Indian TV viewers, the schedule will be convenient. Morning matches will begin at 9:00 AM Pacific Time (9:30 PM IST), while evening matches under floodlights will start at 6:30 PM PT (7:00 AM IST the next day).
According to Kit McConnell from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), these timings were specifically chosen considering the “core cricket markets in the subcontinent”. He added that the tournament will not only help the global growth of cricket but also bring the sport’s biggest stars to a prestigious Olympic stage.
Olympic Cricket Format Revealed: Two Groups, Four Matches Each
The cricket tournament will follow a compact and unique format. As reported by BBC Sport, the format has now been finalised by the ICC, IOC, and LA 2028 organisers.
There will be two groups of three teams each. Every team will play two group-stage matches and then face two teams from the opposite group, excluding the one that finished in the same position. For instance, the top team in Group A won’tface the top team in Group B.
Each team will play four matches in total. Based on those results, the top two teams will advance to the final to compete for the gold medal, while the third- and fourth-ranked teams will face off for bronze.
The medal matches are scheduled for 20 July (Women’s final) and 29 July (Men’s final). Both tournaments will run in separate time slots, ensuring the matches don’t overlap.
The qualification process for participating teams is still under discussion. While some ICC members favour selecting teams based on T20 rankings, others are pushing for a qualification tournament. A final decision is expected during the ICC’s meeting in Singapore on 17 July.
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