The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released an updated international events calendar to the member boards after the meetings in Dubai this October. The document outlines the proposed schedule of events that will be held between the 2027 and 2031 ODI World Cups, including the LA Olympics qualifier, 2029 World Test Championship (WTC) final, and two T20 World Cups in 2028.

The new calendar includes twelve men's events, seven women's tournaments, and five Under-19 competitions and qualifiers. It was announced that most of these events have already been scheduled in 2021; however, there are still a few competitions left, the host countries for which have not been decided yet.

The WTC final in 2029 is set to be held in England from June 8 to 12.

LA Olympics cricket qualifiers shifted to early 2028 as ICC revises cricket calendar

The ICC had initially planned to hold the men's and women's qualifiers for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2027, but they have been moved to January and February 2028. The new window puts them less than six months before the LA28 Games, where cricket will make its return to the Olympic program for the first time since 1904.

The qualification structure has also been updated, particularly for the United States women's team. Whilst the ICC had previously outlined the qualification structure it appears that its latest communication explains how the remaining places will be allocated if the host nation fails to meet the direct-entry criteria.

For the women's competition, Australia, India, South Africa and Great Britain have qualified as the highest-ranked eligible teams from their respective continents based on their performances at the T20 World Cup earlier in 2026.

The men's qualification pathway will be different.

The four automatic continental places will go to the highest-ranked eligible teams from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania based on the ICC men's T20I rankings as of December 31, 2026.

The United States men's team, currently ranked 13th, is on course to secure direct entry based on the host-nation criteria. The women's team, ranked 19th, finds themselves in a different situation – as they currently fall outside the required top-15 ranking threshold.

Women's Champions Trophy to determine potential Olympic qualification

Under the ICC's original plan, if the USA women's team failed to meet the host-nation ranking criteria, an additional automatic qualification place would go to the highest-ranked non-qualified team in the T20I rankings as of March 1, 2027.

However, the ICC has now changed that provision. If the United States fails to meet the ranking requirement by December 31, 2026, the additional place will be allocated based on the standings at the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy which is due to take place in India in February 2027.

The ICC notified its member boards in October that the place would be reallocated according to the tournament standings, using March 1, 2027 as the cut-off date.

The venues for the men's and women's Olympic qualifiers have yet to be confirmed. Each eight-team qualifier will see the seven highest-ranked eligible teams outside the automatic qualification places plus the winner of the Caribbean Regional Qualifier.

Men's and women's T20 World Cups to take place back-to-back in 2028

The ICC's updated calendar also leaves the men's and women's T20 World Cups just 11 days apart in 2028. The women's tournament will take place in Pakistan from September 7 to October 1, featuring 12 teams.

The men's T20 World Cup will follow in Australia and New Zealand from October 12 to November 12. The 20-team competition will start less than two weeks after the women's tournament finishes, creating a busy period for international cricket.

The back-to-back scheduling means two of the ICC's key events are within a short window, with different host nations and tournament formats. It also gives the ICC a defined timeline for two of its most prominent competitions in its international schedule.

2030 Men's T20 World Cup window revised

The ICC has also revised the proposed window for the 2030 Men's T20 World Cup. The tournament, allocated to England, Ireland and Scotland, was initially planned for June but has now been moved to July and August.

The change adds another adjustment to the international calendar as the governing body works towards the next two ODI World Cups, scheduled for 2027 and 2031.

With dates now set for several major events, the updated calendar gives member boards a clearer view of the international schedule. However, venues for the Olympic qualifiers and other outstanding details remain to be confirmed as preparations continue for a packed period of global cricket.