LA 2028 Baseball & Softball Overview

Baseball and softball return to the 2028 Summer Games as a combined program, with men competing in baseball and women in softball. Baseball is staged at Dodger Stadium in Downtown Los Angeles, one of the most storied venues in the sport, while softball is played roughly 1,300 miles east at OKC Softball Park in Oklahoma City, a dedicated softball facility that hosts the annual Women’s College World Series. Both sports last appeared at the 2020 Games, where Japan won gold in each.

Each tournament features six teams. The two sports are scheduled at opposite ends of the Games calendar — baseball opens the competition, beginning the day before the Opening Ceremony, while the softball tournament runs into the final weekend, with its gold medal game among the closing sessions of the Games. For a US-hosted edition, both events carry strong domestic demand, with the United States among the leading nations in each.

Format & Sessions

Both tournaments field six teams split into two groups, playing a group stage into a knockout bracket. Baseball is played over nine innings and softball over seven, both under international rules; any game that reaches extra innings places runners on first and second base at the start of each extra half-inning. In each sport, the group-stage winners advance directly to the semifinals, while the second- and third-placed teams contest the quarterfinals, with semifinal winners playing for gold and the losers for bronze.

LA 2028 Baseball Venue: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Baseball at the 2028 Summer Games is held at Dodger Stadium in Downtown Los Angeles, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 1962 and one of the most recognizable venues in the sport. The stadium hosted baseball as a demonstration sport at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, and has staged eleven World Series along with the final rounds of the 2017 World Baseball Classic. With a capacity of around 56,000, it is among the largest venues on the baseball calendar anywhere in the world. For official Games information see the official LA28 organizing committee, and for the sport’s international body see the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).

A Return to 1984

Dodger Stadium’s Games history runs directly to the last time Los Angeles hosted, in 1984, when baseball featured as a demonstration sport and the ballpark averaged roughly 48,000 fans per game. Its selection for 2028 places the tournament in a venue with genuine heritage in the sport, at the center of a city with deep baseball roots, and within easy reach of the Downtown cluster of events.

LA 2028 Softball Venue: OKC Softball Park, Oklahoma City

Softball at the 2028 Summer Games is held at OKC Softball Park — known as Devon Park — inside the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City. The purpose-built softball facility seats around 13,000 and hosts the annual Women’s College World Series, making it widely regarded as the home of the sport in the United States. LA28 selected it because no softball-specific venue in the Los Angeles area seats more than roughly 2,000 fans, and the organizers committed to using existing facilities rather than building temporary ones. For official venue information see the official LA28 venue page.

The Softball Capital

Oklahoma City has hosted the Women’s College World Series since 1997 and markets itself as the softball capital of the country. For 2028, athletes will compete on a true softball field with double-decker seating rather than a converted baseball diamond — a distinction the players themselves have emphasized. For groups from Texas, OKC is an unusually convenient host, reachable by a short direct flight or a drivable distance from Austin, and separate from the Los Angeles crowds.

Baseball & Softball at the Summer Games: History

Baseball first appeared as a medal sport at the 1992 Barcelona Games after several appearances as a demonstration sport, including at Los Angeles in 1984. Softball made its debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Both sports were part of the program through 2008, were dropped for the following editions, and returned for the 2020 Games in Tokyo, where Japan won gold in both. The 2028 tournament marks the seventh appearance of men’s baseball and the sixth of women’s softball at the Games.

The United States has been among the strongest nations in both sports, winning softball gold at the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Games and taking baseball medals across multiple editions. Japan, Cuba, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, and Australia have all won baseball medals, while Japan, the United States, China, Australia, and Canada have been among the leading softball nations. Italy and other emerging European programs have narrowed the gap in recent years.

Recent Summer Games — Medal Results

What to Expect at LA 2028

The split between Los Angeles and Oklahoma City gives the baseball and softball program a distinctive shape. Baseball opens the Games at a marquee Major League venue, while softball closes the program at the sport’s spiritual home — two very different experiences under one combined event. For fans, it is a rare chance to see both sports back on the Games program on home soil.

The Field

Six teams contest each tournament, with the host United States expected to be among the favorites in both. Japan enters as the defending champion in each sport after its 2020 sweep. In baseball, strong programs from Latin America and Asia — including the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Chinese Taipei, and South Korea — are perennial contenders, while in softball Japan, the US, Canada, and China lead a field where emerging nations continue to close the gap.

US Interest

Both sports carry deep roots in American sporting culture, and a home Games gives Team USA a strong platform in each. Softball in particular returns to a region considered its heartland, with Oklahoma City providing what amounts to a home-field advantage. The prospect of the United States competing for gold in both baseball and softball is expected to drive strong demand across both venues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Sports at LA 2028

Baseball and softball are among the returning sports on the 2028 program. Individual sport guides for LA 2028 are listed below.