LOS ANGELES — The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are still two long years away — and the 2026 Winter Games in Italy haven’t even started yet.

But fans of the Summer Games need to start planning now. They will get their first shot at purchasing tickets to the 2028 events this week.

Prospective ticket buyers can register online at la28.org starting Wednesday. Registering will enter purchasers into a lottery to get access to the first batch of tickets, which will be sold this spring.

Organizers say that tickets to all sports at a range of prices will be available in this first phase of sales.

The 2028 Olympics will be Los Angeles’ third time hosting the event, after the Summer Games in 1932 and 1984. Those Summer Games will also be the first hosted in the United States since the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Hundreds of events will stretch across Southern California, and Oklahoma City will also host some, creating many opportunities for spectators to catch a glimpse of the action. Los Angeles will also host the Paralympic Games, which will begin in August 2028.

Here is what to know about attending the 2028 Olympics.

Register for the Lottery First, Then Wait for the Chance to Buy Tickets.

To get access to the first round of sales, those interested in purchasing tickets for Olympic events must register online and create a profile. Registration, which is free, begins Wednesday.

Those who have registered will receive an email in the spring letting them know if they have been assigned a time slot during which they can purchase tickets.

There will be additional registration periods and ticket drops later this year. Tickets for the Paralympics will go on sale in 2027.

The Olympics and Paralympics will include more than 800 events across more than 40 venues, creating plenty of opportunities for fans. The Olympic Games will feature 36 sports and the Paralympic Games will include 23.

Fans will also have the option to secure more expensive hospitality packages with access to private suites. Those packages require deposits that range from $1,000 to $10,000.

Events Will Take Place Across Southern California — and in Oklahoma.

Los Angeles will have its name on signs and merchandise during the Olympics, but athletes will compete at venues all over Los Angeles and Orange counties in California.

Many events will take place within Los Angeles city limits, such as baseball at Dodger Stadium, track and field events at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and boxing at Crypto.com Arena.

Other events will be hosted in other Southern California cities. For example, Carson will host tennis, archery, rugby and field hockey. Anaheim will host volleyball, and basketball will be played in Inglewood. Surfing events will be held in the waters off Trestles State Beach in San Clemente.

Two competitions — softball and canoe slalom — will be held in Oklahoma City. The decision to hold those events outside California was part of an effort deliver on a promise to host the Games without building new permanent stadiums or infrastructure.

Special Perks for Locals

Those who live near Los Angeles or Oklahoma City will have access to a presale window to purchase tickets from April 2 to 6. To qualify for the presale, fans will need to enter the postal codes in a qualifying county. Not all locals will be guaranteed access to the presale.

In California, the eligible counties are Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura.

In Oklahoma, the eligible counties are Oklahoma, Canadian and Cleveland.

Save These Dates

The opening ceremony for the 2028 Olympics is scheduled for July 14, 2028. For the first time, the ceremony will be hosted at two venues — the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

The closing ceremony is scheduled for July 30 at the Coliseum.

The Paralympic Games will begin two weeks later, on Aug. 15, and run through Aug. 27.

Is Los Angeles Ready to Host the Olympics?

There is still plenty of work to do before the Games begin. Some key infrastructure projects are behind schedule.

The People Mover at the Los Angeles International Airport was once expected to be completed in 2024. But now planners expect the train project, which will connect airport terminals with the rail transit system in Los Angeles, to be ready by the second half of 2026.

Other infrastructure plans will need to wait until closer to the Games. The Olympic Village, for example, will mostly be hosted on the campus of UCLA. The school’s semester will need to end before Olympic athletes can move in.

Olympics officials have said that they are confident everything needed to host the Games will be in place in time.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Jesus Jiménez/Akex Welsh
c. 2026 The New York Times Company