Staggering number of Olympics fans enter ticket lottery in first 24 hours

A record number of people — more than 1.5 million — have sought tickets to LA’s 2028 Olympics since the lottery opened Wednesday morning, officials said.

The organizing committee called the early demand unprecedented, noting it comes more than two and a half years before the Games and marks the earliest registration period for any Olympics.

“The Olympic Games returning to Los Angeles in 2028 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to witness history,” LA28 Chair and President Casey Wasserman said in a statement. “The spirit of the LA28 Games is now officially ignited around the world, and fans have already shown up in record-breaking numbers just one day into our ticket registration. The journey is just beginning, and we look forward to an epic and unforgettable experience together in 2028.”

According to LA28, the first-day registrations surpassed the combined day-one totals for the Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 and Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.

The ticket draw will remain open through March 18. Organizers expect to release approximately 14 million tickets for the 2028 Games.