- Tickets for the 2028 LA Olympics go on sale Thursday for select locals.
- Only residents of certain counties in California and Oklahoma can initially buy.
- Over 5 million people signed up for the initial ticket draw, organizers announced.
SALT LAKE CITY — The first tickets for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles go on sale Thursday.
But not just anyone can buy them.
Tickets priced as low as $28 are initially being sold only to locals living in "qualifying counties" where venues for the world's next Games are located. Besides California, that also includes counties in Oklahoma, the site of Olympic canoe slalom and softball competitions.
And they're only being sold to fans who signed up earlier this year with the LA28 organizing committee for the ticket presale. Even then, only those whose names are randomly selected will be able to make a purchase during a specific time slot through April 6.
Confusing? A list of FAQs on the organizing committee's website attempts to explain the process while assuring locals who aren't offered a chance to buy in this round that they'll "be automatically entered into all future ticket draws until you hit your 12-ticket maximum."
Not a resident of the California or Oklahoma counties in the locals presale? Your turn may be coming if you registered online for the "LA28 Ticket Draw" before March 18 for time slots to purchase Olympic tickets during the first drop.
On April 7, the organizing committee said all remaining registered would-be ticket buyers should see an LA28 email that either assigns them a time slot to make a purchase with a link to the ticketing platform or tells them their names are in the draw for the next round of sales.
The purchasing process is complicated enough that LA28 has posted a "How To Navigate The LA28 Ticket Website" video on YouTube that lasts almost five minutes. Among the details it covers is that tickets are digital, but souvenir paper versions are available for $18.
Just when the next round of sales will be has not yet been announced, but organizers promised more information will be "shared soon" on the next ticket draw and registration period, "which will take place later this year."
Fans who didn't sign up for the ticket presale are encouraged to subscribe to the LA28 online newsletter to be notified about future registration dates, including for when tickets to the Paralympics for athletes with disabilities go on sale in 2027.
Organizers of what will be the third Olympics in Los Angeles have touted the interest in tickets.
"This week marks the first opportunity for fans to claim a seat at the LA28 Olympic Games," the organizing committee's CEO, Reynold Hoover, said recently. "We've been thrilled to see the outpouring of enthusiasm from fans all around the world."
In February, organizers announced "a record-setting surge of global interest," in tickets, with more than 5 million people already signing up for the initial draw, including some 1.5 million who added their names to the list within the first 24 hours.
Some 14 million tickets are expected to be available for the LA Games, set to be held July 14–30, 2028.
Utah's 2034 Winter Games are still years away from selling tickets, but a bill passed by state lawmakers this year and signed into law by Gov. Spencer Cox exempts them from an estimated $88 million in state and local sales taxes.
However, a fee expected to add up to at least that much money may be added to help the privately funded organizing committee reimburse state and local governments for public safety services during the Games.
