Registration opens Wednesday at 07:00 local time (15:00 GMT) for a random ticket draw giving fans a chance to buy seats for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The registration window runs through 18 March and winners will receive an email with a timed purchase slot in April; the first sale period runs 9–19 April. Organisers say one million tickets will cost $28 and roughly one-third of tickets will be priced under $100, part of a deliberate affordability push for Games staged across Los Angeles and southern California (with canoeing and softball in Oklahoma).
Key takeaways
- Registration opens 07:00 local (15:00 GMT) Wednesday and closes 18 March; entry requires name, email and zip code.
- Winners are notified by email and assigned a timed purchase slot in April; first sales run 9–19 April.
- One million tickets will be priced at $28; about one-third of all tickets will cost less than $100 (£74.41).
- Early purchase window for residents of the Los Angeles area and Oklahoma City is planned before the general sale.
- LA Memorial Coliseum will co-host the opening ceremony and track and field events and hosted a ceremonial cauldron lighting ahead of registration opening.
- Organisers say the raffle is intended to be equitable; however, a given purchase slot does not guarantee ticket availability when the slot opens.
- The move follows public criticism of ticket pricing for the 2026 men’s World Cup and mirrors affordability messaging from other recent Games, where Paris 2024 offered tickets starting at $27.95.
Background
Los Angeles will host the Olympic Games in 2028, the first U.S. Olympics since Atlanta 1996; the city previously hosted the Games in 1932 and 1984. LA organisers emphasise reuse of existing venues and infrastructure to limit new construction and to keep costs down for both the city and spectators. Ticketing has become a focal point for public discussion about accessibility and equity after criticism of high prices at other major events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The LA28 organising committee has framed affordability as a central objective, pledging broad access through a mix of low-priced inventory and residency-based early windows. The Coliseum ceremony—attended by organisers and hundreds of Olympians and Paralympians—was used to underline continuity with past LA Games and to promote the new ticketing plan. Key municipal and organising stakeholders view the raffle as a way to reduce preferential access and curb resale advantages.
Main event
Starting Wednesday at 07:00 local time (15:00 GMT), fans worldwide can register to enter a randomized draw for the right to purchase tickets. Registration requires basic contact details and a zip code; the system will allocate purchase time slots to entrants selected in the draw. The organisers stress that the earlier the assigned slot, the better the likelihood of finding available tickets, because slot assignment itself does not reserve seats.
Organisers announced that one million tickets will be priced at $28 and that about one-third of tickets will be under $100. The first block of tickets offered to successful registrants will be available to buy between 9 and 19 April, and sale inventory will include opening and closing ceremony admissions. A special early purchase window will be open for Los Angeles-area residents and for residents of Oklahoma City, which will host canoeing and softball events.
At the Coliseum lighting event, LA28 leadership framed the raffle as a fairness mechanism. Chairman Casey Wasserman characterised the Games as belonging to the public and emphasised inclusivity. LA28 chief Allison Katz-Mayfield described the random-draw process as designed to prevent systemic advantages in ticket access and to spread opportunity across a broad group of fans.
Analysis & implications
The raffle approach attempts to tackle a perennial Olympic problem: matching very high global demand with finite venue capacity while trying to limit scalping and opaque priority access. By publicising a large volume of low-cost tickets—one million at $28—organisers are signalling a policy trade-off that balances revenue aims with political and public-relations objectives around accessibility.
Financially, offering substantial low-priced inventory can broaden attendance and local engagement but may reduce immediate ticket revenue per seat, placing greater emphasis on sponsorship, broadcasting, hospitality and ancillary spending to meet budget targets. The model also tests whether residency windows and randomized access can blunt resale markets; much will depend on enforcement, ticket-transfer rules and secondary-market monitoring.
Politically, the move responds to recent public sensitivity about the cost of attending global sports events. If LA28 successfully delivers affordable access at scale, it could set a template for future hosts; if not, critics will likely point to gaps between headline price points and actual availability once sales open. Operationally, the timed-slot purchase mechanism creates a new layer of logistics and risk—servers, queuing, and clear communications will be crucial when the April windows begin.
Comparison & data
| Event | Earliest publicised base price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| LA 2028 Olympic Games | $28 | One million tickets at $28; ~1/3 of tickets under $100; registration through 18 March; purchase 9–19 April |
| Paris 2024 Olympic Games | $27.95 | Opening publicised base price for some events |
The table compares the earliest advertised base prices; organisers have emphasised that tiered pricing and venue capacity will vary widely by sport and session. The total number of tickets and full pricing bands beyond the headline figures have not been comprehensively published, so comparisons are limited to these base points.
Reactions & quotes
Organisers, athletes and the public gave immediate responses at the Coliseum event; officials highlighted fairness and inclusion, while advocacy groups and market watchers will be monitoring availability once sales begin.
“These Games belong to everyone,”
Casey Wasserman, LA28 chairman
Wasserman used the Coliseum gathering to underline the affordability pledge as central to the Games’ public message. The remark framed the ticketing approach as part of a broader attempt to democratise access for fans.
“The random draw is the fairest way to ensure the broadest number of people can get access,”
Allison Katz-Mayfield, LA28 chief
Katz-Mayfield emphasised that the draw is intended to remove structural advantages; organisers acknowledge the system still leaves demand-supply tensions that will become visible during the April purchase windows.
Unconfirmed
- The total number of tickets to be sold overall and the complete breakdown of price tiers beyond the $28 and “about one-third under $100” figures have not been published.
- How effective the raffle and residency windows will be at limiting resale activity or scalping is untested and remains uncertain until post-sale market data are available.
Bottom line
The LA28 ticket raffle is a high-profile attempt to reconcile intense global demand for Olympic attendance with an explicit promise of affordability. Key dates are registration opening at 07:00 local (15:00 GMT) on Wednesday, registration closing 18 March, and the first purchase window from 9–19 April. The headline figures—one million $28 tickets and roughly one-third under $100—are designed to convey broad access, but availability for popular sessions will depend on how inventory is allocated across sports and time slots.
Observers should watch communications from LA28 about detailed price bands, enforcement measures against resale, and real-time availability once the April purchase windows open; these factors will determine whether the raffle achieves its stated fairness and inclusion goals.
Sources
- BBC News (news report)
- LA28 Organising Committee (official announcement and ticketing information)