Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine will host baseball for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics, confirming earlier speculation reported by World Baseball Network. The selection returns the sport to the same venue that hosted Olympic baseball in 1984, when it was played as a demonstration sport before eventually becoming a medal event.
That's a home run. ⚾
Dodger Stadium will be making its second Olympic appearance! In 1984, it hosted several games when Baseball was an Olympic exhibition event, and now it will be the home of Baseball at the 2028 Games. We're excited to welcome Baseball back to the Olympic… pic.twitter.com/PMAOFoknGx— LA28 (@LA28) April 15, 2025
Baseball was a demonstration sport at the Olympics in 1912, 1936, 1952, 1956, and 1964 before its inclusion at the 1984 Summer Games. Dodger Stadium hosted Olympic baseball that year, with an average attendance of 48,000 fans per game. According to the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the stadium’s selection for LA28 reflects its long history of staging high-profile baseball events, including 11 World Series and the championship rounds of the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classic.
🚨 Breaking news‼️
🏟️ Dodger Stadium named Official Venue for Baseball at Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028#LA28 || @LA28 https://t.co/nMBZiTVQyL
— WBSC ⚾🥎 (@WBSC) April 15, 2025
WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari, who served as home plate umpire during the gold medal game at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, recalled, “It was the peak of my umpiring career. That tournament was the key to baseball’s inclusion on the programme. I’m thrilled about returning there as the WBSC President for the LA28 Games.”
We are thrilled to return to Dodger Stadium for the Olympic Games. This iconic venue is the perfect stage to showcase the very best of our sport to millions of fans around the world. When the world’s top international baseball teams take to the field in 2028, the atmosphere will… https://t.co/oVjrsG2GM4 pic.twitter.com/oby8uZQkQ4
— Riccardo Fraccari (@WBSCPresident) April 15, 2025
Dodger Stadium, which opened in 1962 and seats 56,000 fans, remains the largest stadium in Major League Baseball. It hosted the Dodgers’ first game after the franchise moved from Brooklyn and has since become one of the most iconic venues in the sport.
LA is ready to shine. 🌞
More updates to our venue plan are here, celebrating the very best of Los Angeles while highlighting the breadth and depth of what Southern California has to offer.
Head to the link below to read all about the latest updates to the LA28 Olympic… pic.twitter.com/xoPmsQZpcJ
— LA28 (@LA28) April 15, 2025
Paul Seiler, Executive Director and CEO of USA Baseball, also praised the decision to bring Olympic baseball back to Dodger Stadium, joining a chorus of support from baseball’s international and domestic governing bodies.
Olympic Baseball is coming back to Dodger Stadium!
📰: https://t.co/R2tFjdCp6x pic.twitter.com/OoNItFstvb
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) April 15, 2025
The full venue program and athlete quota for LA28 was confirmed by the International Olympic Committee on April 9. Baseball and softball will return as six-team tournaments, with 234 total athletes—144 in baseball and 90 in softball—mirroring the numbers from the Tokyo 2020 Games. As previously reported by WBN, the 2028 Summer Olympics will feature 36 sports and 351 medal events. In addition to baseball/softball, the other four new sports proposed by LA28 include cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash.
Softball will be played at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, the traditional home of the NCAA Division I Women’s College World Series.
Olympic Baseball History
As World Baseball Network has extensively documented, baseball’s return to Dodger Stadium for the 2028 Summer Olympics confirms earlier speculation and brings the sport back to the same site where it was last played in the Olympics in 1984, when it was still a demonstration sport.
That 1984 tournament featured national teams from the United States, Japan, Chinese Taipei, the Dominican Republic, Canada, South Korea, Italy, and Nicaragua. Japan defeated the U.S. 6-3 in the gold medal game, while Chinese Taipei shut out South Korea 3-0 to win bronze. The Dominican Republic qualified as a replacement for Cuba, which did not participate in the 1983 Pan American Games. Nicaragua earned its berth with a silver medal at that event. Italy secured its spot by winning the 1983 European Championship, and South Korea qualified by capturing the title at the 1982 Amateur World Series.
Olympic Baseball Results
1984 Los Angeles
G: United States
S: Japan
B: Chinese Taipei
1988 Seoul
G: United States
S: Japan
B: Puerto Rico
1992 Barcelona
G: Cuba
S: Chinese Taipei
B: Japan
1996 Atlanta
G: Cuba
S: Japan
B: United States
2000 Sydney
G: United States
S: Cuba
B: South Korea
2004 Athens
G: Cuba
S: Australia
B: Japan
2008 Beijing
G: South Korea
S: Cuba
B: United States
2020 Tokyo
G: Japan
S: United States
B: Dominican Republic
As of now, six teams are expected to participate in the baseball tournament at LA28. Japan and the United States have already qualified. The remaining four slots will be determined through a combination of the 2027 WBSC Premier12 tournament and regional qualifiers from Europe/Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. The Premier12 will take place after the conclusion of the 2027 professional seasons across MLB, Nippon Professional Baseball, the KBO, the Mexican League, and Taiwan’s CPBL.
Talks are expected to resume between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association after the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in 2026 to determine if active MLB players will be allowed to participate in the 2028 Olympic Games as discussed by MLB and union leadership.
Baseball was not included in the 2024 Paris Olympics, as the International Olympic Committee opted to prioritize emerging sports like skateboarding, surfing, and breakdancing. Baseball and softball were also absent from the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games but returned in Tokyo in 2021, delayed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The return of Olympic baseball and softball to American soil in 2028 sets the stage for another pivotal moment in the sport’s global development—especially with the possibility of MLB stars taking the field in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
