Basketball at 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to Tip Off Two Days Before Opening Ceremony

Basketball at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will begin ahead of the official opening ceremony, with organisers confirming that games are scheduled to start on July 12, two days before the Games formally begin on July 14.

The announcement, made Wednesday by FIBA, the sport’s global governing body, follows a revised schedule that shifts the basketball calendar forward to ease match congestion and improve game-day logistics. It remains unclear whether both the men’s and women’s tournaments will commence early, though a preliminary draft shows three basketball games slated for July 12 and three more on July 13.

“This adjustment allows the quarterfinals to be played over two days and will also ensure that no game will start earlier than noon, enhancing the overall experience for players, teams, fans and broadcasters,” FIBA stated in a news release.

The new schedule provides teams with better rest periods during the tournament and addresses key concerns raised by broadcasters and competing nations around travel, fatigue, and audience engagement.

The medal rounds are set to conclude in line with the final days of the Olympics. Bronze-medal matches will take place on July 28 and 29, while the gold-medal games are scheduled for July 29 and 30, the latter coinciding with the closing day of the Games.

Basketball joins several other sports that will kick off before the opening ceremony, including field hockey, rugby sevens, water polo, handball, football, and cricket. The canoe slalom event, which will be held in Oklahoma City — around 1,200 miles from Los Angeles — is also set to begin the morning of July 14, ahead of the evening’s official festivities.

The United States will enter the tournament as reigning champions in both the men’s and women’s categories. The U.S. women’s team has dominated the Olympics with eight consecutive gold medals, while the men’s team is looking to defend its fifth straight Olympic title.