Men's football at Paris Olympics 2024: Nations, format & everything you need to know

Paris Olympics will feature many notable faces

Paris Olympics is set to take over the sporting world in a few days with many fans ready to support their respective nations. Men’s football which has been one of the sports in the Olympics will have 16 nations vying to win the Gold Medal. The previous holder Brazil have failed to reach the competition which means there will be no reigning champions this time.

However, the only time Men’s football was not played in the Olympics was between 1896 and 1932, since then Olympics has featured football with both men’s and women’s participating in the event.

In this article, we take a look at every detail of men’s football games in the Paris Olympics.

How many men’s teams have qualified for Paris Olympics?

16 countries have secured their place in the Paris Olympics 2024.

• Group A: France, United States, Guinea, New Zealand
• Group B: Argentina, Morocco, Ukraine, Iraq
• Group C: Uzbekistan, Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic
• Group D: Japan, Paraguay, Mali, Israel

Men’s football format at the Paris Olympics 2024

The men’s Olympic football competition is limited to athletes under the age of 23, with a maximum number of three players over 23 permitted.

There are four groups of four teams each out of the 16 men’s teams. Each group’s top two advance to the quarterfinals, which are followed by the semifinals where four nations contend to reach the final to win the Gold Medal, while the losers win the silver medal and the third team wins the Bronze medal.

Which nation is the favourite to win the Gold medal?

The top contenders at the Paris Games are hosts France, who have a combination of seasoned players and up-and-coming talent. Under the guidance of Thierry Henry, France aims to win their second gold medal at the Olympics after winning their first one in the Los Angeles Games in 1984.

Argentina who have won two gold medal winners boasts Thiago Almada, a phenomenon in Major League Soccer (MLS), and Manchester City attacker Julian Alvarez.

Spain are another front-runner to win the gold medal. Alex Baena and Fermin Lopez will represent Spain in the Olympics despite failing to get enough minutes during the Euro 2024.

Which nation has won the most gold in the Olympics?

In the male football competition at the Olympics, Hungary and Great Britain have shared the greatest number of gold medals with three apiece, while Brazil, Argentina, the former Soviet Union, and Uruguay have each earned two.

Notably back-to-back golds in 2020 and 2016, Brazil are the current holders. But after failing to qualify for the first time since 2004, the Brazilians will not be defending their gold medal at the Paris Games.

Which top players are playing at the Paris Olympics 2024?

Leading football players competing in the Paris Olympics are Naby Keita of Guinea, Nicolas Otamendi and Julian Alvarez of Argentina, and Michael Olise and Alexandre Lacazette of France.

Men’s football key match dates at the Paris Olympics 2024

• Group stage: July 24-30
• Quarterfinals: August 2
• Semifinals: August 5
• Bronze medal match: August 8
• Gold medal match: August 9

Stadiums selected for men’s football at Paris Olympics 2024

• Bordeaux Stadium in Bordeaux
• Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne
• La Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes
• Lyon Stadium in Decines-Charpieu (near Lyon)
• Marseille Stadium in Marseille
• Nice Stadium in Nice
• Parc des Princes in Paris

How many players a team can call for the tournament?

The participating countries can call up to 18 players in their squad ahead of the event and each nation can use a maximum of three over-age players above 23.

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