FIFA president Gianni Infantino met Jay Shah, the chairman of the International Cricket Council, in Milan, marking a rare and significant crossover between football and cricket, two of the world’s most followed sports.
Infantino shared the moment on Instagram, posting a photograph with Jay Shah and praising his role in driving cricket’s global growth. He also extended his best wishes as the sport prepares for its return to the Olympic stage at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, while expressing optimism about working together to use sport as a unifying force worldwide.
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“It was my pleasure to meet @icc Chairman Jay Shah today in Milan. The outstanding work he has done to grow the beautiful game of cricket is exemplary. I wish him and everyone the very best as cricket gets re-introduced to the Summer Olympic Games in two years time. I also look forward to working together and collaborating as we unite the world through sports,” Infantino said in his post.
The meeting comes at a pivotal moment for cricket, with its confirmed return to the Olympics representing a major milestone in the sport’s global expansion. Cricket will feature at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, making its comeback to the Games after a gap of 128 years since its only previous appearance at the Paris 1900 Olympics, where Great Britain defeated France in a one-off match to win gold.
The qualification process for the LA28 Olympic cricket tournament is yet to be finalised and is expected to be discussed during the ICC’s Annual Conference in Singapore starting on July 17. Details regarding participating teams and qualification pathways remain a key area of focus for the global governing body.
Cricket’s re-entry into the Olympic programme highlights its growing international footprint. In recent years, women’s cricket made its Commonwealth Games debut at Birmingham in 2022, while both men’s and women’s cricket have been regular features at the Asian Games in 2010, 2014, and 2023.
Following the confirmation of the number of teams and venue for LA28 announced in April last year, the International Olympic Committee has confirmed that the T20 competitions for both men’s and women’s cricket will be held from July 12 to July 29, 2028, further cementing cricket’s place on one of the world’s biggest sporting stages.
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