There is more than one route into cricket in America. You can watch a domestic competition, find people to play with locally or follow the US national teams. Major League Cricket, Minor League Cricket, community clubs and the national side each do a separate job.
What Does Cricket in the United States Include?
American cricket covers professional franchises, domestic competitions, community teams and national sides. Watching the Los Angeles Knight Riders, finding a practice group and following Team USA are three separate activities.
Major League Cricket (MLC) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) competition, with up to 20 overs of batting per side. Minor League Cricket (MiLC) runs a separate domestic T20 competition. Local clubs, schools, colleges and youth programs offer other ways to take part. The men's and women's national teams represent the United States internationally. There is no universal promotion ladder connecting every neighborhood team to these competitions.
Start with your own reason for getting involved:
- Watch a match: See US broadcasts and match attendance for access to each competition.
- Try playing: See the local beginner route for a realistic first session.
- Follow the national sides: See Team USA and international qualification.
- Understand Olympic cricket: See the LA28 qualification pathway.
In the inaugural MLC season in July 2023, an American newcomer wanted to watch a local team and found no nearby stadium and a TV subscription they didn't want:
I'm an American and as a result I have not been exposed much to the sport of cricket. But I have made it a point to watch a match before and Jomboy on Youtube has been covering a lot of cricket so I was interested in watching. The issue is that in order to watch I have to pay a subscription to Willow TV which I will literally never use for anything else. I really don't want to pay a subscription for a sport that I am not even sure I am going to watch. And just out of principal I don't sign up for free trials so I guess I can't watch on T.V... but guess what? I can't even watch my local team in person because all of the games are being played in Texas or North Carolina, because no where else has a cricket stadium.
Major League Cricket vs. Minor League Cricket vs. Local Clubs
MLC and MiLC have similar names and separate roles. Local clubs and college groups are a third category. The US cricket leagues guide sets out how the US competitions differ.
| Setting | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Major League Cricket | Professional franchise T20 | Six franchises in 2026 |
| Minor League Cricket | Separate US domestic T20 competition | 62 matches announced at eight venues in 2026 |
| Local cricket clubs | Recreation, practice or organized amateur matches | Varies by club |
| College cricket | Campus recreation or competition | Varies by institution |
MLC began in summer 2023. The six teams listed by the league in 2026 were Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings and Washington Freedom.
MiLC's August 28, 2026 announcement set out a 62-match season at eight venues, starting September 17.
The 2026 MiLC announcement named venues including Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina, Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas, and a Knight Riders ground in California.
Who Governs Cricket in the USA?
The International Cricket Council (ICC), USA Cricket, tournament organizers and local clubs each have their own responsibilities. That mattered most after the ICC suspended USA Cricket's membership rights on September 23, 2025.
The ICC's suspension announcement cited repeated governance breaches, including a lack of progress toward achieving National Governing Body recognition from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The same decision expressly preserved the US national teams' right to take part in ICC events.
The ICC also said national-team management and the high-performance program would be overseen temporarily by the ICC or its designated representatives, with a Normalisation Committee involved.
On December 22, 2025, the ICC published a further statement on support for US cricketers. It addressed USA Cricket's Chapter 11 reorganization proceedings and said the ICC had assumed responsibility for decisions on domestic-event sanctioning under ICC regulations during the suspension. Organizers or promoters seeking recognition of a US domestic match or event as approved cricket were to apply directly to the ICC during that period.
How Can You Watch Cricket in the United States?
US viewing options depend on the competition, season and territory.
| What you want to watch | Access | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Major League Cricket | Willow Sports is the USA and Canada broadcaster | 2026 MLC season |
| Minor League Cricket | MLC Network viewing; free regular-season spectator admission announced | 2026 MiLC regular season |
| Team USA international matches | Broadcast arrangements depend on the ICC event | Event-specific rights and fixtures |
For one US fan, MLC made live cricket after work possible. In July 2023, the fan described the switch from awkward overseas match times to American evening coverage:
I live in US. And if you are a cricket fan here in the US, you have to watch cricket in the morning time and sometimes it’s weird times like 4am. And if you are a working adult, it’s almost impossible to watch cricket and you just have to follow scores. But nowadays, I get back from work. Cook a meal , chill and watch cricket from 8-11 pm. At a ‘normal’ time I can turn on my tv and there is live cricket. There are world class players in action live at a normal time. HOW COOL IS THAT! I know people find a lot of fault in MLC and there has to be improvements. But this is so big for cricket in US. I am even planning to book a trip to Dallas and watch a game and enjoy Dallas in general. Long live Major League Cricket!
Before you pay for access or plan a trip, confirm the tournament and season, check the official US broadcast announcement, and match the fixture to the venue's ticket and arrival details.
How Do You Start Playing Cricket in the USA?
Start with a beginner-friendly local club or a supervised practice group. A good reply from a club confirms the novice session and the ball type. The US cricket club checklist suggests where to look.
An American baseball player started following cricket after the 2024 World Cup, went to an MLC match in Pomona and found an indoor training facility. They planned to start individual coaching lessons, hoped baseball skills would help with fielding and coordination, and asked when competitive cricket might become realistic.
When you contact a club, ask about:
- Playing level: Whether an adult beginner can attend a trial or introductory session, and whether competitive squads have separate entry requirements.
- Venue and time: Where practice takes place, the next session and any membership or attendance conditions.
- Equipment and ball: What you can borrow and whether training uses a soft ball, tennis ball or hard cricket ball.
- Coaching and protection: Supervision and protective equipment before hard-ball batting or close fielding.
Community teams and college groups vary widely. Some run informal net sessions, others play scheduled league fixtures.
What About Women's, Youth and College Cricket?
In August 2026, the USA women's under-19 team won all six matches in the Americas Qualifier to earn a place at the 2027 Women's U19 T20 World Cup.
Cincinnati Youth Cricket publishes an example of a local junior pathway, with its own age groups and training arrangements.
How Does Team USA Compete Internationally?
The United States fields men's and women's national sides in international cricket, and their ICC competitions are separate from MLC franchise standings.
On October 7, 2026, the USA men defeated Namibia by four wickets in Dallas and clinched the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 title. Captain Monank Patel scored 108.
In its October 8 report, the ICC confirmed that the United States, Scotland and the Netherlands had secured places in the ten-team 2027 Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier, where places at the World Cup finals were still to be decided.
The US also co-hosted the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup with the West Indies, with American host locations announced in New York, Florida and Texas. That was a different competition from League 2, which belongs to the men's 50-over World Cup pathway. The USA national cricket team guide separates ICC tournaments, national squads and governance requirements.
Cricket in America: A Short History
Cricket has a much longer history in the United States than the current professional league. The ICC identifies an 1844 match between the USA and Canada at St George's Cricket Club in New York as the first international cricket match.
| Year | Milestone | What it means for US cricket |
|---|---|---|
| 1844 | USA played Canada in New York | Early international cricket in North America |
| 2023 | Major League Cricket launched | A new professional US franchise competition |
| 2024 | USA co-hosted the Men's T20 World Cup with the West Indies | International tournament matches at US venues |
| 2026 | USA men won Cricket World Cup League 2 | A national-team competitive achievement |
In a September 2026 interview, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting called the development of cricket in the US a gradual process that needs investment in grassroots participation.
What Does LA28 Mean for USA Cricket?
Cricket is scheduled to return to the Olympics at Los Angeles 2028 with men's and women's T20 competitions. The ICC's June 29, 2026 announcement allocated six national-team places to each tournament and named Pomona, California, as the cricket venue.
| LA28 detail | Announced condition | Effect on the USA |
|---|---|---|
| Men's T20 | Six national teams | US host eligibility depended on the men's T20I ranking |
| Women's T20 | Six national teams | US host eligibility depended separately on the women's T20I ranking |
| Remaining qualification route | ICC Olympics Qualifier scheduled for 2027 | Determines the sixth and final place in each tournament |
Under the ICC's announced LA28 pathway, the USA could qualify through the host route only if the men's or women's team stood inside the top 15 of its ICC T20I rankings at the December 31, 2026 cutoff. The two rankings were to be evaluated separately.
