DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dallas, Florida and New York will host matches at next year’s men’s T20 World Cup, the governing body of cricket announced Wednesday.
The United States will be staging a global cricket event for the first time as the sport looks to expand into new territory and get Olympic status for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The country will co-host the June 4-30 tournament with the West Indies.
The International Cricket Council said an agreement has been reached for the construction of a 34,000-seat stadium in Eisenhower Park, a purpose-built sports and events park in Nassau County, New York, pending the awarding of a required permit next month.
Venues in Grand Prairie outside Dallas and Broward County in Florida will be increased in size to expand seating, media and premium hospitality areas to enable them to host matches in the 20-team tournament, which makes it the biggest T20 World Cup yet.
“The USA is a strategically important market,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said, “and these venues give us an excellent opportunity to make a statement in the world’s biggest sport market.”
The inaugural Major League Cricket competition was held this year in the United States, with teams from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, New York and Washington — four of which are owned by franchises in the Indian Premier League — taking part. Grand Prairie staged many of the games.
Florida also hosted recent T20s between India and the West Indies at Central Broward Stadium in Lauderhill.
The T20 cricket format is favored to be one of the sports added to the program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, with decisions by the International Olympic Committee scheduled at meetings next month in Mumbai, India.
Problems in talks between the IOC and the Los Angeles organizing committee on commercial issues have stalled the process.
Cricket is seen as a key driver in India of commercial interest in the Olympics and also is expected to be requested by organizers in Australia for the 2032 Brisbane Games.
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