The West Indies cricket team players will need to play a regional competition in the Caribbean to determine which nation among those that represent West Indies will participate in the global qualifier, set to be played between eight teams to decide the final slot of men's cricket spot at theĀ Los Angeles Olympics 2028. As per a report in Forbes, countries and territories in the Caribbean region, which come together and compete as the West Indies in international cricket, will be playing a regional qualifier among each other in 2026 to decide who gets to play in the eight-nation qualifier for the single slot left in the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 to qualify. Cricket at Olympics 2028: Schedule, Format, Teams and All You Need To Know About Cricket at LA28.

Territories in the Caribbean region, a group of mostly British Commonwealth countries, compete together in ICC (International Cricket Council) events. However, the same practice cannot be followed in the Olympic Games, as only sovereign countries are allowed at the Olympics. Now, since the game of cricket has been inducted in the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, for the first time in history since 1900, countries that club together to represent the West Indies will play the regional qualifier.

Which Teams Would Play inĀ Qualifiers For Final Spot in LA Olympic 2028?

The winner of the regional qualifier in the Caribbean, reported to be played in 2026, will then participate in an eight-nation qualifier event to compete for the single Los Angeles Olympics 2028 men's cricket slot left. As per Forbes, the men's cricket event will be a six-team affair. Of which five will gather automatic qualification: Hosts (in this case, the USA), and the top-ranked team in Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa (which, if the cut-off date was now, would be India, Australia, England, and South Africa). The England team would need to combine with Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, as they compete as Great Britain. ICC Chairman Jay Shah Reflects on Cricketā€™s Return at Los Angeles Olympics 2028 on Olympic Day, Says ā€˜Letā€™s Celebrate the Power of Sport To Inspire; Connect and Upliftā€™.

The qualifier for the final slot of the LA 2028 Olympics would then consist of other top-ranked teams from the zone, in this case: New Zealand, nation from West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ireland and Zimbabwe. Speaking about the regional qualifier in the West Indies, ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 qualifier, Cricket West Indies president Kishore Shallow told me during an interview in Singapore (quoting Forbes),"Hopefully this pathway to the Olympics is going to get greater investment from governments and corporates because the Olympic qualifier is a global event... There will be more national interest and could also mean more commitment from players to play for their countries.ā€

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 22, 2025 05:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).