The Knight Riders Cricket Ground in Pomona marked its official debut on Thursday, featuring a competitive match between the Los Angeles Knight Riders and Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket.
Situated within the expansive 500-acre Fairplex, a historic site that has been home to the Los Angeles County Fair since 1922, the stadium provided fans with an early preview of the ground set to host Olympic cricket in 2028.
Built specifically for international cricket, the facility boasts eight wickets on the main pitch, ICC-standard playing dimensions, and six 120-foot floodlight towers. Over 32,000 metric tonnes of earth were excavated during the construction.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
This Pomona venue will host all cricket matches during the LA 2028 Olympic Games, marking the sport’s return after an absence of 128 years, with its last appearance being in the Paris 1900 Olympics.
The LA28 Olympics will feature men’s and women’s T20 tournaments, each with six teams. Matches at the Pomona venue are scheduled from July 12 to July 29, 2028.
Qualification for the women’s competition is already in progress, with Australia, Great Britain (via England), India, and South Africa being the first teams to secure quota spots for the 2028 Games.
As for the men’s event, four direct Olympic quota places will be allocated based on the ICC Men’s T20 Team Rankings. These spots will be awarded to the highest-ranked eligible National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania at the conclusion of the qualification period.
India must finish as the highest-ranked eligible team from Asia to secure a direct spot for LA 2028. The qualification window extends from June 30 to December 31, 2026. Should the team fall short in the rankings, they will have another opportunity through the Final Olympic Global Qualification Tournament (FOGQT).
Image: AP
The initial phase of ticket sales has shown robust interest from local and international fans. Nearly all tickets priced under $100 in the first batch were sold during dedicated sale periods for residents of Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, including around half a million tickets priced at $28.
Fans from 85 countries, along with all 50 US states and five US territories, participated in the ticket purchases. Among international buyers, the highest demand was noted from the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, and Japan.
