Cricket is officially making a big return to the Olympic Games after a break of 128 years. The LA28 organizing committee announced on July 14, 2025, that the first-ever cricket match will be held on July 12, 2028, prior to the official opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympics.
This return to the past represents a re-entry into Olympic history for the gentleman’s game for the first time since 1900, when Great Britain and France were the sole competitors in what was virtually a one-match Test – now an unofficial fixture in recognition.
Far from it will be LA28, which welcomes the contemporary T20 format, with both men’s and women’s competitions, each with six global teams competing for gold, silver, and bronze.
LA28 Cricket Schedule
Cricket competition will commence on July 12, two days prior to the opening ceremony, which has been termed by organizers as ‘Day -2’.
Group stage matches shall be contested in two segments: July 12–18 and July 22–28.
There shall be rest days on July 14 and July 21 for team recovery and logistic changes.
Semifinals and medal matches shall be conducted on July 19 (men) and July 29 (women).
Double-headers will be played on each matchday, with 9:00 AM and 6:30 PM local time Los Angeles matches. For an Indian audience, that’s 9:30 PM IST and 7:00 AM IST, respectively.
Pomona Fairplex – An Interim Cricket Stadium
All of the matches will be played at a temporary purpose-built stadium at the Pomona Fairplex, a 500-acre fairground situated approximately 50 kilometers east of central Los Angeles. The traditionally home of the LA County Fair, the Fairplex will be renovated into an international-standard cricket facility to stage Olympic games.
The IOC has reserved 90 athlete positions for each sex, which translates to each country being able to send in a 15-player team, thus making the contest elite and streamlined.
A New Era for Cricket on the Global Stage
The inclusion of cricket in the Olympic program is being celebrated as a milestone for the global reach of the sport. Men’s cricket has appeared at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, and women’s T20 cricket appeared at Birmingham 2022, but this will be the first time that men’s and women’s cricket will be contested at an Olympic standard.
The T20 format, already a mainstay in multi-sport events such as the Asian Games, further picks up steam internationally, and its return to the Olympics heralds a huge chance for cricket to find new fans and areas.
While wait continues for LA28, followers from all corners of the cricket world can expect a new era—one where Olympic medals hang in the balance, and cricket is under the international spotlight on the greatest sports stage of them all.
