How to qualify in Judo
How judoka qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics
Judo at Los Angeles 2028 has 14 individual weights (seven for men, seven for women) and a mixed team event. There are 372 places. A country can have one judoka per weight.
Qualifying is already under way: it runs from 15 June 2026 to 12 June 2028, and every place comes from the IJF world ranking for that period.
- The top 17 in each weight qualify directly (one per country).
- 104 more places go by continent. Each continent ranks its own judoka across all weights and both genders, and the best qualify: Asia has 12 men and 12 women. A country can get only one judoka through this route.
- Six mixed team places help countries that are one judoka short of a full team.
- The United States as host gets all 14 weights, and ten universality places go to countries with few Olympic athletes.
For Indian judoka, the continental route matters most: a judoka outside the top 17 can still qualify by being among Asia's 12 best of their gender on points.
The places
| Men | Women | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct (top 17 in each of seven weights) | 119 | 119 | 238 |
| Continental | 52 | 52 | 104 |
| Host country | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Mixed team invitation | 6 | ||
| Universality | 10 | ||
| Total | 186 | 186 | 372 |
Weights. Men −60, −66, −73, −81, −90, −100 and +100 kg. Women −48, −52, −57, −63, −70, −78 and +78 kg.
Who can compete: born on or before 31 December 2013. Places go to the judoka by name, but if a country has two judoka in the top 17 of the same weight, it chooses which one goes.
Direct qualification
The 17 highest-ranked judoka in each weight on the ranking of the qualifying period, at most one per country per weight.
Continental qualification (104 places)
| Continent | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | 12 | 12 | 24 |
| Europe | 13 | 13 | 26 |
| Asia | 12 | 12 | 24 |
| Oceania | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Americas | 11 | 11 | 22 |
| Total | 52 | 52 | 104 |
Each continent's list ranks every judoka not already qualified, across all weights, by world ranking points. One judoka per country through this route. Places a continent cannot fill go to the best-ranked judoka of that gender anywhere.
The mixed team
The mixed team has six weights: women −57, −70 and +70 kg; men −73, −90 and +90 kg. Each takes judoka from the individual weights at or below it (for example, the women's −57 kg team place can be filled by a −48, −52 or −57 kg judoka). A country can enter if its individual qualifiers cover all six; its team is drawn from those qualifiers, up to seven men and seven women.
Invitation places. One per continent, plus one for the best eligible country on the mixed team world ranking. They go to countries with five of the six team weights covered; the country's best-ranked judoka in a weight that fills the gap gets an individual and a team place.
The host country
The United States gets a place in each of the 14 weights and a mixed team place, if its judoka meet the eligibility rules.
Universality places
Ten. The IOC invites requests on 1 October 2027, with a deadline of 15 January 2028.
Places turned down
A direct place goes to the next on the ranking in that weight. A continental place goes to the next on that continent's list, in any weight, keeping the gender split. Unused universality places go to the highest-ranked judoka not yet qualified, any weight or gender. Withdrawals are replaced in the order they are announced, up to 30 minutes before the Olympic draw.
Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 15 June 2026 | Qualifying period opens |
| 1 October 2027 to 15 January 2028 | Universality requests |
| 12 June 2028 | Qualifying period closes |
| 15 June 2028 | The IJF publishes the final ranking and tells countries their places |
| 22 June 2028 | Countries confirm (five working days) |
| 26 June 2028 | Reallocation; entries deadline for the Games |
| 14 to 30 July 2028 | LA28 Olympic Games |
The timeline still shows "XXXXXXXX" for the date the Tripartite Commission confirms universality places.
The ranking used
The document says only "the IJF World Ranking List of the Olympic qualification period". The IJF's normal ranking counts six best results at full value for 12 months and six more at half value for the 12 months before (see the judo ranking page). Whether the qualification list keeps the halving or counts only results from 15 June 2026 onwards is not stated in either document. Ask the IJF before Gate 2.
Where to follow it
ijf.org publishes the world ranking and, nearer the time, an Olympic qualification list.