Cricket Returns to Olympics at LA 2028: T20 Schedule Announced, Action Begins July 12

Cricket will officially make its long-awaited return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028, with the first match of the T20 tournament scheduled to take place on July 12, 2028—marking a historic revival of the sport on the global stage after 128 years.

The schedule, revealed on July 14, 2025, details a tightly packed and exciting tournament featuring six men’s and six women’s international teams competing in the fast-paced T20 format. The announcement has sparked excitement across the cricketing world, especially among fans in cricket-crazy nations like India, Australia, and England.

Key Dates and Format:

• Start Date: July 12, 2028 (two days before the official Olympic Opening Ceremony)
• Group Stage (Men’s and Women’s):
  • Phase 1: July 12–18
  • Phase 2: July 22–28
• Medal Matches:
  • Semifinals: July 19
  • Bronze & Gold Medal Matches: July 29
• Rest Days: July 14 & 21
• Match Timings: Double-headers at 9:00 AM & 6:30 PM PT
  • India Time: 9:30 PM IST & 7:00 AM IST

Venue: Temporary Stadium at Pomona Fairplex

All matches will be held at a temporary Olympic cricket stadium constructed at the Pomona Fairplex, around 50 km east of downtown Los Angeles. This 500-acre venue, traditionally used for exhibitions and fairs, will be repurposed into a state-of-the-art cricketing arena for the 2028 Games.

Participation and Athlete Quotas

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allotted 90 athlete slots per gender, with teams expected to field 15-player squads. This means a total of 180 cricketers—men and women—will compete in the Olympic tournament.

Significance of Cricket’s Return

Cricket’s only previous Olympic appearance came in 1900, when Great Britain defeated France in a one-off match. Although that match wasn’t officially recognized until later, LA 2028 will mark cricket’s first full-scale participation in the modern Olympic era.

This inclusion represents a pivotal moment in the sport’s globalization. While men’s cricket featured in the 1998 Commonwealth Games, and women’s cricket made a splash at the 2022 Birmingham Games, the Olympic platform is expected to drive unprecedented global visibility and engagement for the sport.

With the rise of T20 leagues and cricket’s expanding fan base in the USA and beyond, the LA 2028 cricket event is poised to be a thrilling spectacle and a game-changer for international cricket development.