NEW DELHI, June 29 (Reuters) - Reigning world champions India, Britain, South Africa and hosts United States are set to feature in the men's Twenty20 competition when cricket returns to the Olympics at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles following a qualification pathway approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
One team each from Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania will be pickedbased on the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings at a cut-off date on December 31, 2026, according to a decision approved by the executive board of the IOC.
Australia and New Zealand will vie for the one spot from Oceania, while the US will carry the flag for the Americas provided it does not slip out of top 15 in the ICC rankings.
The sixth team will come from a global qualifier featuring the next eight highest-ranked teams, who have not yet qualified.The mix will include West Indies - a composite ICC member representing multiple Caribbean nations but not recognised as National Olympic Committee by theIOC.
"If the West Indies is ranked among the eight highest-ranked teams not yet qualified, the ICC shall organise a West Indies Nations Regional Tournament to determine which NOC will represent the region at the final global Olympic qualification tournament," the IOC said in a statementon Monday.
They will then join seven other teams - the highest-ranked sides not already qualified - in a global qualifier with the winner completing the six-team competition at Los Angeles.
England's ranking has been used to select Britain.
The women's competition will also feature six teams. Australia, Britain, South Africa and India have secured spots by virtue of being the four best-performing continental teams in the ongoing World Cup.
Neither the US nor any team from the Americas features in the ICC's top 15. After the Champions Trophy next year, the unused host country's place will be awarded to the highest-ranked T20 team outside the four who have already qualified.
As in the men's pathway, the Caribbean winner will enter an eight-team global qualifier, with the winner claiming the final spot for LA 2028.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by Toby Chopra)
