After 128 years of silence, cricket is finally set to roar back into the Olympic fold. The 2028 Games in Los Angeles will welcome men’s and women’s T20 tournaments, injecting one of the world’s most watched sports into the Olympic limelight. With the England and Wales Cricket Board already in talks with Cricket Scotland, the United Kingdom is moving swiftly toward fielding a unified squad as Team Great Britain—a move that would reignite a legacy first etched in Paris in 1900.
Running from July 14 to 30, the LA Olympics will host 36 sports and 351 medal events. Cricket joins the schedule alongside new additions like squash and flag football, while old favourites baseball/softball and lacrosse make a comeback. It’s a line-up designed to bring both excitement and modern appeal to a global stage.
The temporary cricket venue will rise in Pomona, a historic city just under an hour from the athletes’ village and 50 kilometers east of Los Angeles. The Fairplex, a 500-acre property that’s hosted the LA County Fair since 1922, will be transformed into a cricketing battleground. It’s a location rich in legacy—now being reimagined for one of sport’s greatest comebacks.
Each T20 tournament will consist of six national teams, with 90 total athletes—15 per squad—set to compete for Olympic gold. The race to qualify is fierce, and for Team GB, the groundwork is already being laid. The ECB has confirmed that discussions are in motion with Cricket Scotland, with the latter’s CEO, Trudy Lindblade, revealing: “We have a really good working relationship with the ECB. [We’re] in the process of establishing a Team GB cricket entity.” If successful, the formation of such a team could include players like George Munsey, Mark Watt, and Brad Wheal—all Scottish standouts with international experience.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the host nation’s participation remains uncertain. The U.S. is not a full member of the International Cricket Council, making automatic qualification unlikely. Yet, the Olympic status of the tournament raises questions about representation. One official stated: “You’d ideally like to send the top six teams in the men’s and women’s sections, which is why it’s tough to say whether the US will play. They are not a full-member (of the ICC) but, being the Olympic hosts, the US naturally have a claim to be there, which makes it such a tough decision.”
Cricket’s re-entry into the Games isn’t just symbolic—it’s strategic. With India being one of the most cricket-crazy nations in the world, organisers see huge commercial potential. Outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach noted the “growing popularity of cricket, especially the T20 format”, with tournaments like the Indian Premier League and the Women’s Premier League leading the charge in global viewership and marketability across men’s and women’s cricket respectively.
The fast-paced nature of T20 cricket makes it a perfect fit for Olympic audiences. With matches wrapped up in just a few hours, the format promises high-energy entertainment and global appeal. It also serves as a gateway for expanding the sport in newer territories, particularly the United States.
Cricket’s Olympic story began in 1900, when Great Britain and France faced off at the Velodrome de Vincennes in Paris. Originally set as a four-team event, Belgium and the Netherlands pulled out, leaving just the two nations. Britain won the 12-a-side match by 158 runs, bowling France out for 26 in the second innings. They secured victory with only five minutes to spare. Initially, they were awarded silver medals and France bronze, but these were later upgraded to gold and silver respectively. Curiously, both teams were also gifted miniature Eiffel Towers as mementos.
In more recent multi-sport tournaments, cricket has made impressive strides. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, women’s cricket made its debut, with Australia taking home gold and India securing silver. The momentum continued into 2023, when India’s women claimed gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou—an achievement that underlined their rise in international stature.
Today, the women’s T20 landscape is highly competitive. New Zealand holds the world championship title, and other nations are quickly closing the gap. With just six teams qualifying for LA 2028, the standard of play is expected to be elite.
Looking ahead, cricket’s Olympic journey likely won’t stop in California. Early signals from the Brisbane 2032 organising committee suggest the sport will be retained, with plans to hold the final at The Gabba. Interestingly, that match would serve as the venue’s final bow before demolition, with a new 60,000+ capacity stadium set to rise in its place.
For Team GB, the return of cricket to the Olympics isn’t just a chance to compete—it’s a moment to reclaim a piece of sporting history. What began over a century ago with a single match in Paris will soon evolve into a global contest featuring the world’s best. With the pitch set and the dream reignited, Great Britain stands on the verge of a defining Olympic comeback.
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