Cricket at the 2028 Summer Olympics – Men's qualification
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The cricket event at the 2028 Summer Olympics will be the second time that the sport will be played at the games. It was last played at the 1900 Summer Olympics. It will be played in the Twenty20 (T20) format.[1]
The qualification process for the men's tournament includes two routes, direct qualification via rankings and the qualifier, with the qualification window being 30 June to 31 December 2026.[2][3]
Format
Direct qualification
The top four teams from each continent (Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania) in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings as of the cutoff date of 31 December 2026 qualify directly for the tournament. The host nation, the United States, were also eligible for direct quota place, provided they reach the top 15 in the rankings during the qualification window from 30 June to 31 December 2026.[2]
Global qualifier
The next eight highest-ranked teams that have not already qualified directly will participate in the global qualifier to fill the remaining spot, with the qualification for the qualifier being open till 31 December 2026.[4] If the West Indies finish among these eight teams, a regional tournament involving the West Indies nations will be held to determine the region's representative at the global qualifier.[5]
Qualified teams
| Means of qualification | Dates | Venue(s) | Berth(s) | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host | 30 June 2026 | N/a | 1 |  United States |
| ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings (Highest ranked teams from each Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania) | 31 December 2026 | N/a | 4 |  TBD |
| TBD | ||||
| TBD | ||||
| TBD | ||||
| Men's Qualifier | 2027 | TBD | 1 | TBD |
| Total | 6 |
ICC T20I Team Rankings
United States qualified directly by virtue of being hosts and reaching the top 15 of the rankings within the host ranking qualification window, having ranked 13th as of 30 June 2026.
| Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
 India | 54 | 14,674 | 272 |
 England[a] | 34 | 8,904 | 262 |
 Australia | 38 | 9,868 | 260 |
 New Zealand | 50 | 12,348 | 247 |
 South Africa | 48 | 11,717 | 244 |
 Pakistan | 57 | 13,679 | 240 |
 West Indies[b] | 56 | 13,079 | 234 |
 Bangladesh | 50 | 11,202 | 224 |
 Sri Lanka | 44 | 9,703 | 221 |
 Afghanistan | 36 | 7,935 | 220 |
 Zimbabwe | 48 | 9,699 | 202 |
 Ireland | 27 | 5,361 | 199 |
| United States | 20 | 3,650 | 183 |
 Netherlands | 24 | 4,311 | 180 |
 Nepal | 43 | 7,699 | 179 |
| Source: ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings, 28 June 2026 | |||
- If England qualify, they will represent Great Britain at the Olympic tournament, with players from Scotland also eligible for selection, in accordance with Olympic regulations.
- One of the member states and dependencies from the West Indies cricket team will be representing the region at the Olympic qualifier if the West Indies are in the top 8 of the rankings of the teams yet to qualify at the end ranking qualification window.
| Qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics | |
| Advance to the Olympic Qualifier |
2027 Olympic Qualifier
| Means of qualification | Dates | Venue(s) | Berth(s) | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings (Top eight sides not already qualified) | 31 December 2026 | N/a | 8 | TBA |
| TBA | ||||
| TBA | ||||
| TBA | ||||
| TBA | ||||
| TBA | ||||
| TBA | ||||
| TBA | ||||
| Total | 8 |