How to qualify in Boccia
How boccia players qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics
Boccia at LA28 has 11 medal events and 128 places:
- Individual: BC1, BC2, BC3 and BC4, for men and for women (eight events, 16 players each);
- Team and pairs (mixed): BC1/BC2 teams (three players), BC3 pairs and BC4 pairs (one man and one woman each). Twelve countries in each.
Teams and pairs are decided first, and every player in a qualified team or pair also plays the individual event. Team and pair places belong to the country; places won as an individual belong to the player.
Team and pair places come from:
- The host (the United States): one team, one BC3 pair, one BC4 pair, if ranked.
- The 2027 regional championships: the best team and pair from each of four regions (Europe, Asia and Oceania, Americas, Africa).
- The world rankings at 31 December 2027: the next four.
- A Paralympic qualification tournament in 2028: three more.
Then individual places fill each event to 16, from the world rankings and an individual qualification tournament.
A country can have at most two players in each class and gender, and ten in all.
Eligibility
A player must be registered with World Boccia and have ranking points in at least one event between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2027; be internationally classified (status Confirmed, or Review with a date after 31 December 2028); and hold a World Boccia licence and have completed its anti-doping training.
Team and pair places
| Route | BC1/BC2 teams | BC3 pairs | BC4 pairs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2027 regional championships (best in each region, not the host) | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| World ranking at 31 December 2027 (not otherwise qualified) | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Paralympic Teams and Pairs Qualification Tournament, 2028 (countries with no team or pair place yet) | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Countries | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Players | 36 | 24 | 24 |
A BC1/BC2 team is three players from three different individual events (so it mixes BC1 and BC2 players and men and women). A country that wins a team or pair place must play that event, or give all its places back.
If a region holds no championships, or its championships has no team or pair event, the place goes to the next country on the world ranking, from any region. The host's places, if unused, go the same way.
Individual places
| BC1 M | BC1 F | BC2 M | BC2 F | BC3 M | BC3 F | BC4 M | BC4 F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players from teams and pairs | 36 across the four | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |||
| World ranking (players without a team or pair) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Compensation ranking | 12 across the four | - | - | - | - | |||
| Paralympic Individual Qualification Tournament | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
- World ranking: the top player on each individual ranking at 31 December 2027 whose country has no team or pair in that event.
- Compensation: BC1 and BC2 team players can be of either class and gender, so the four BC1 and BC2 events are filled to 13 each from the individual ranking, in rank order.
- Individual qualification tournament (2028): the top three in each event, from countries below their limit.
A country that would go over ten places, or over two in an event, chooses which to keep.
How the 128 adds up
The document counts each route's places by gender, leaving some open until teams are named:
| Route | Men | Women | Gender to be set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Regional championships | 12 | 12 | 4 |
| Teams and pairs world ranking | 12 | 12 | 4 |
| Teams and pairs qualification tournament | 9 | 9 | 3 |
| Individual world ranking | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Compensation | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Individual qualification tournament | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Total | 52 | 52 | 24 |
52 + 52 + 24 = 128. Because each individual event has 16 players, the final split is 64 men and 64 women, as in the programme table.
Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2026 | Ranking period opens |
| 5 to 12 July 2027 | African Regional Championships, Cape Town |
| 2 to 15 August 2027 | European Para Championships, Geneva (Europe's regional championships) |
| 20 to 29 August 2027 | Parapan American Games, Lima (the Americas' regional championships) |
| 4 to 12 September 2027 | Asia and Oceania Regional Championships, Beijing |
| 31 December 2027 | Ranking period closes |
| 2028 (date to be set) | Teams and Pairs Qualification Tournament; places confirmed |
| 5 May 2028 | Accreditation Long List due |
| 2028 (date to be set) | Individual Qualification Tournament; places confirmed |
| 24 July 2028 | Sport entries close |
Unused team and pair places go to the next country on the team or pair ranking, from any region. Unused individual places go to the next player on the ranking or at the tournament.
What is still open
Almost every 2028 date in this chapter, including both qualification tournaments and every confirmation deadline, is "TBD". The gender split of 24 places is also "tbd".