No India-Pakistan showdown at LA28? Olympic cricket qualification system casts doubts on fiercest rivalry

Cricket's return to the Olympics at Los Angeles 2028 might not include the popular India versus Pakistan match. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is thinking about using a new system where teams qualify by region. This could leave Pakistan out, which would disappoint many fans hoping to see the two teams play.

Cricket is coming back to the Olympics after 128 years. Both the men's and women's tournaments will have six T20 teams. People are excited, but this new qualification idea is changing things. It focuses more on getting teams from different areas of the world than on using world rankings.

How qualification could work

Sources say the ICC might pick teams by continent. The best T20I teams from Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa would get in automatically. The USA, as the host, will also be there, representing the Americas. That leaves only one more spot, and it's not clear yet how that will be decided.

Right now, India is the top T20I team in Asia, so they will likely get Asia's spot. Pakistan is a good team, but they are ranked lower than India in T20I (8th compared to India's 1st as of August 2025). This means they might not qualify through the Asian spot.

What this means for teams around the world

This regional plan is supposed to follow the Olympic idea of having teams from all over. Still, it might mean that some strong teams don't get to play. For example, New Zealand (currently 4th in T20I) might not make it from Oceania because Australia (2nd) would probably get that spot. The West Indies could also have trouble because the USA is automatically in.

The ICC hasn't officially said how qualification will work, but many reports suggest this is how it will be. This decision shows they are trying to get more countries involved in the Olympics, even if it means some big rivalries are missing. Fans will probably be sad if the Olympics don't have the excitement of an India-Pakistan game.

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