Olympic Softball Qualification Announced for LA28, Team USA Automatically Qualifies

Team USA automatically qualifies as the host nation.

Tiare Jennings helped Team USA to a gold medal at the 2025 World Games. | USA Softball

Softball is set to return to the Olympic Games in three years on July 23, 2028, but the road to the gold medal begins now. 

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)  announced on Monday the qualification process for the six-team softball tournament at the Los Angeles Games. WBSC National Teams will have the opportunity to qualify for the Games through five international tournaments. 

“The qualification system approved for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games reflects our commitment to excellence, universality, and a global, world-class tournament,” WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said in the press release. “By combining elite global events with clear continental pathways, we are ensuring that the very best baseball and softball teams from across all regions have a clear opportunity to qualify for LA28.

The qualification system approved for @LA28 reflects our commitment to excellence, universality, and a global, world-class tournament. By combining elite global events with clear continental pathways, we are ensuring that the very best baseball and softball teams from across all… pic.twitter.com/Dhq7zbyjYd

— Riccardo Fraccari (@WBSCPresident) February 9, 2026

As the host nation, the U.S. is guaranteed one quota place in the softball tournament, and head coach Patty Gasso is already gearing up with a star-studded roster.

Here’s what it will take to give other cherished players and teams a chance to compete for a medal.

Women's Softball World Cup Finals, April 2027, Redcliffe, Australia

The highest placed team at the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals will clinch a spot to LA28. The hunt to play in the World Cup will kick off in 2026, with 18 teams participating in the Group Stage. Group A will lead off the competition from June 16-20 in Prague, Czechia, followed by Group B in Lima, Peru, from July 21-25. The third group will take place in Oklahoma City from September 17-21. 

Continental Qualification Events, 2027

The three six-team continental qualification tournaments:  Asia (4)/Oceania(2), Europe (5)/Africa(1), and the Americas(6), will qualify one team each for the Games. The continental quotas include the host country.

Final Qualification Event, March 2028 

The runner-up and third-place teams in the  Asia/Oceania, Europe/Africa, and the Americas continental qualification tournaments will take part in the Final Qualification Event. The winner will clinch the last spot for LA28. 

Roster Qualifications, Schedule, and Location

Nations will be able to take 15 softball players with them to the Olympics, and they must be 16 years old.  The tournament will start with a full round-robin Preliminary Round from July 23 to 27, with three matches scheduled each day. The bronze medal game is set for July 28, followed by the gold medal game on July 29, which will determine the champion just one day before the Closing Ceremony of the Games.

Though softball games won’t be held in California, the Committee announced last summer that softball will be in Oklahoma City at 13,000-capacity Devon Park, the home of the Women’s College World Series and USA Softball’s headquarters. 

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