No India-Pakistan Clash at Olympics 2028? Only One Asian Team to Qualify Directly
Cricket is officially set to return to the Olympics after over 100 years, debuting in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games with a condensed T20 format. But despite this historic inclusion, there’s a twist that might disappoint millions of fans—there may be no India vs Pakistan clash at the event.
According to Forbes, only six teams will participate in the cricket competition at the 2028 Olympics. One of those slots is reserved for the host nation, the USA, while the remaining five will be determined through a regional qualification model introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Under this model, only the top-ranked team from each region—Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa—will gain direct entry. The final spot will be filled through a global qualifier. This means only one Asian team will qualify directly, likely based on ICC T20I rankings at a future cut-off date. With cricketing giants like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan competing in Asia, only the top-ranked one will go to LA 2028, possibly denying fans the iconic India-Pakistan faceoff.
The T20 World Cup results will be considered to determine Olympic qualification for women’s teams, but there’s still uncertainty about USA’s women’s team participation.
A notable concern earlier was scheduling—given cricket’s jam-packed international calendar—but the ICC appears content with a single qualifying tournament to resolve remaining slots. In the case of West Indies, since it represents a combination of several Caribbean islands and not a sovereign nation, an internal playoff may be held to decide a single nation to represent the region in the global qualifier.
The Olympic cricket matches will take place at Fairgrounds Stadium in Pomona, roughly 50 km from downtown Los Angeles, with fixtures scheduled between July 12 and July 29, 2028. Medal matches will occur on July 20 and 29.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, USA Cricket—under scrutiny due to governance issues—has been granted three more months by the ICC to address structural concerns and avoid suspension. The board had earlier resisted calls to resign but is being closely watched with the Olympic spotlight drawing nearer.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, commenting on the broader Olympic preparations, said:
“When the world comes here for these Games, we will highlight every neighborhood… we are already delivering legacy with over a million enrollments in PlayLA.”
While the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics is a cause for celebration, the qualification format has triggered debate over fairness and fan engagement. One thing is clear: the road to Olympic cricket gold will be elite, exclusive, and intensely competitive.
