Pakistan might fail to qualify for 2028 LA Olympics: Cricket is making a comeback in the Olympics after 128 years. This time cricket will be seen in full swing in LA 2028, in which 6 teams each from men’s and women’s categories will participate. However, Pakistan team’s dream of playing in this tournament may be shattered. Along with Pakistan, New Zealand team may also not be able to qualify for this event. According to reports, both these teams failed to make it under the qualification rules set by ICC.
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Pakistan gets a shock due to ICC’s rule
According to a report by The Guardian, Pakistan and New Zealand may be out of the Men’s T20 cricket tournament to be held in the 2028 Olympics. This decision has come after the qualification system was decided in the ICC’s annual meeting held in Singapore in July. The report states that the ICC has decided to implement regional qualification. Under this, the top ranked teams from Asia, Oceania, Europe and Africa will get a direct place in the Olympics. At the same time, America will get entry due to being the host nation.
These teams can be seen playing in the Olympics
The ICC has concluded the qualification process for cricket at the 2028 Olympics, with The Guardian reporting that Pakistan's men’s team is unlikely to qualify for the event.#Cricket #Olympics pic.twitter.com/nW3p9Ml6fK
— PakistaniPulse (@pulse_paki1) July 30, 2025
According to the current T20 rankings, the teams of India (Asia), Australia (Oceania), Great Britain (Europe), South Africa (Africa), America (as host) will be seen playing in the tournament. Due to America qualifying, the participation of Caribbean teams is bound to be affected.
Despite being ranked fourth in the latest T20I rankings of ICC, New Zealand will not be able to qualify due to being from the Oceania region. Australia’s team will participate in the event due to being in second place. Similarly, the teams of Pakistan (eighth place) and Sri Lanka (seventh place) will also not be able to make it to the Olympics 2028 due to India being at the top from Asia.
According to the report, Pakistan and New Zealand teams are not happy with this qualification rule of ICC. However, this rule has not been officially approved yet. But the hope of ICC withdrawing this rule is almost nil. At the same time, the qualification of women’s teams will be decided on the basis of performance in next year’s T20 World Cup.
