LA28 Olympic Basketball Qualification: How the 24 Teams Get to Los Angeles, and Where Team USA Stands

Why LA28 basketball qualification matters if you are buying tickets

LA28 sells basketball tickets by session, not by team. When the next sale opens in 2027, you will pick a date and a round at the Intuit Dome without knowing who plays. That makes qualification more than a sports story: it determines when you will find out what you actually bought. For the women’s tournament, the field will be complete in mid-February 2028. For the men’s, it will not be final until July 2, 2028, just ten days before the tournament starts on July 12.

This page explains how the 24 teams are decided, based on FIBA’s official qualification system for LA28 (version of May 12, 2026), and where Team USA stands as of October 9, 2026.

The LA28 field at a glance

Route	Men	Women
Host country (USA)	1	1 (also 2026 World Cup champion)
World Cup	7 places at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar	The 2026 champion qualifies directly; it is the USA, so no extra place
Olympic Qualifying Tournaments	4 places (four events, June 26 - July 2, 2028)	11 places (four events, Feb 10-13, 2028)
Total	12	12

Each team brings 12 players, so 144 men and 144 women will play 5x5 at LA28. Once in Los Angeles, the 12 teams in each tournament are split into three groups of four. The 3x3 events have their own qualification system, explained on our 3x3 page.

The men's road to LA28: Qatar 2027, then a last chance in summer 2028

FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 as an LA28 qualifier

The biggest single step is the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar, from August 27 to September 12, 2027. It awards seven Olympic places by region: one for Africa, two for the Americas, one for Asia, two for Europe and one for Oceania. Those places go to the best-ranked teams from each region at the World Cup.

There is a twist for the Americas. The USA already has a host place. If the USA finishes among the top two Americas teams at the World Cup, its World Cup place passes to the next-best team from the Americas. In other words, the Americas will still send two World Cup qualifiers besides the hosts.

LA28 pre-qualifying in August 2027

Teams that do not reach the World Cup still have a path. FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments run from August 14 to 22, 2027, with 34 teams. Five of them advance to the next stage: one from Africa, one from the Americas, one from Asia and Oceania combined, and two from Europe.

Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in 2028

The final four places are decided at four FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, from June 26 to July 2, 2028. Each tournament has six teams, and only the winner goes to Los Angeles. The host cities had not been chosen as of October 9, 2026; FIBA’s document says the draw comes before host selection. For fans, this means the last four men’s teams may be known only ten days before tip-off.

The women's road to LA28: Berlin 2026 settled more than one title

The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 was played in Berlin from September 4 to 13, 2026. The USA beat France 97-79 in the final for a 12th world title and a fifth in a row, with Breanna Stewart named MVP. Spain won bronze, beating Germany 81-58, and FIBA reported a record attendance of 236,015.

That result had a direct effect on LA28. Under FIBA’s rules, the World Cup champion qualifies directly for the Olympics. But when the champion is also the host, only that one team qualifies directly, and the remaining 11 places go through the Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. Because the USA is both, it is the only women’s team already in.

Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, February 2028

Sixteen teams play four tournaments of four teams each, from February 10 to 13, 2028. The top three in each tournament qualify. If the host or World Cup champion is in one of those tournaments, it takes one of the three spots, which is how the system arrives at 11 new qualifiers plus the USA.

The teams that reach those qualifiers come through continental competitions: the Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments held August 17 to 23, 2026, plus EuroBasket Women 2027 (June 16 to 27, 2027, co-hosted by Belgium, Finland, Sweden and Lithuania), the AmeriCup, the Asia Cup and AfroBasket 2027.

Team USA for LA28: coaches named, no roster

USA Basketball has set its leadership for the 2025-28 cycle. Erik Spoelstra, head coach of the Miami Heat, leads the men’s national team through the 2027 World Cup and LA28; he was selected by managing director Grant Hill. Kara Lawson, head coach at Duke, leads the women’s national team; she was selected by managing director Sue Bird and has already won the 2026 World Cup.

What does not exist yet is an LA28 roster. As of October 9, 2026, USA Basketball has not named any player for the 2028 Olympics, men or women. Many current NBA and WNBA stars are, in principle, eligible candidates, but nothing is official, and we do not publish projected lineups. The USA arrives as defending champion in both tournaments: at Paris 2024, the men beat France 98-87 for a fifth straight title and 17th overall, and the women beat France 67-66 for an eighth straight gold.

What LA28 qualification means for fans outside the US

For international fans, the honest answer is that almost every country is still in the race. France reached both Olympic finals in Paris and the women’s World Cup final in Berlin, but under FIBA’s rules none of that guarantees a place in 2028: France’s women, like everyone except the USA, must go through the February 2028 qualifiers, and the men must earn a spot in Qatar or at the 2028 qualifiers. The same applies to Spain, Germany and every other contender.

If you are planning to follow your team to Los Angeles, the two key windows are the end of the 2027 World Cup (September 12, 2027) and the February 2028 women’s qualifiers. The February 2028 qualifiers will necessarily come after LA28’s 2027 sale opens, and the World Cup may too, depending on the date LA28 picks. Either way, buying a session before your team qualifies is a bet on a date, not on a matchup.

Key dates on the road to LA28

• 2027 (date TBC): FIBA Central Board decision confirming the host places for the USA.
• June 16-27, 2027: EuroBasket Women 2027.
• August 14-22, 2027: men’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments.
• August 27 - September 12, 2027: FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar (7 men’s places).
• February 10-13, 2028: Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (11 places).
• June 26 - July 2, 2028: men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (4 places).
• July 12, 2028: Olympic basketball tips off at the Intuit Dome. See the full schedule.

LA28 tickets now, teams later: how to stay ahead

Because the matchups come late, the smart move is to secure sessions on dates that suit you and let qualification fill them in. LA28 says its next sale is a first-come, first-served release in 2027, with no draw and no purchase limits; the date had not been announced as of October 9, 2026. Our ticket guide explains how to prepare, and our free email alert tells you when the sale opens and when LA28 starts a new phase such as verified resale. We are an independent guide, not affiliated with LA28, the IOC, FIBA or USA Basketball.