India women's cricket team qualifies for 2028 Olympics despite early T20 World Cup exit

India Women may have endured another heartbreaking early exit from the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, but Harmanpreet Kaur's side still had reason to celebrate after securing qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Despite crashing out following a six-wicket defeat to Australia in their final Group A match, India booked one of the six spots available in cricket's historic return to the Olympics through the ICC's newly announced qualification pathway.

The International Cricket Council



(ICC) on Monday confirmed the qualification criteria for cricket's return to the Olympic Games after a gap of 128 years, with the men's and women's T20 competitions featuring six teams each at Los Angeles 2028.

India secured qualification as Asia's highest-placed eligible finisher at the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup. Although Harmanpreet's side failed to reach the semifinals, they still finished ahead of the other Asian teams in the tournament, ensuring the continent's lone automatic Olympic berth.