With the Summer Olympics looming right around the corner, this guide is packed with all the information about the men’s Olympics Football 2024, including the selected teams, groups, fixtures, schedule, and more.
Olympics Football: History and Rules
Paris has a special connection with football as it was in this exact city in 1900 when football debuted in the Olympic programme at the games of the II Olympiad. And since then, it has continued to feature in the programme, except for the 1932 Games just for the promotion of the newly introduced FIFA World Cup.
The men’s Olympic football matches follow the same rules that are seen in the FIFA matches where 2 teams, consisting of 11 players each, play for 90 minutes. The time is divided into two 45-minute halves, and the games are played on grass pitches.
However, one rule differs here, as compared to FIFA, where out of the 18-player squad, 15 must be under the age of 23 and only 3 players can be overage. This rule was started due to schedule overload and the unwillingness of clubs to send out their players for the Games.
Another important thing to note is that due to the vast number of matches that have to be conducted, football is one of the sports that begins 2 days prior to the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
Hungary holds the record for the most gold medals won by any men’s team at the Olympics, with a total of 3. Meanwhile, Brazil has won the most medals overall, with a total of 7. The Olympics have also witnessed the magic of this game due to the participation of some iconic legends like Ferenc Puskás, Samuel Eto’o, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr or Xavi Hernandez in the past.
Olympics Football 2024: Selected Teams and Their Groups
The groups have been drawn, the stadiums are all set, the players are ready for kick-off, and fans are waiting for the football Games to begin. 16 nations will be pitched into the fight for the gold medal, while each team will try to bring glory to their nation.
So, let’s take a look at each team that qualified for the men’s Olympics football 2024 and the groups they are divided into.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| France | Argentina | Spain | Paraguay |
| USA | Morocco | Egypt | Mali |
| Guinea | Iraq | Dominican Republic | Israel |
| New Zealand | Ukraine | Uzbekistan | Japan |
Olympics Football 2024: Fixtures, Schedule, and Venue
The groups are sure to zest up the matches. Viewers in the UK can watch the Olympics football 2024 matches live on the BBC. Here is the detailed schedule of all the men’s football matches.
Group stage
Wednesday, 24 July 2024 | 2 PM to 10 PM (BST)
- Group A: France vs USA | Stade de Marseille (Match 1)
- Group A: Guinea vs New Zealand | Stade de Nice (Match 2)
- Group B: Argentina vs Morocco | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne (Match 3)
- Group B: Iraq vs Ukraine | Stade de Lyon (Match 4)
- Group C: Uzbekistan vs Spain | Parc des Princes, Paris (Match 5)
- Group C: Egypt vs Dominican Republic | Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes (Match 6)
- Group D: Mali vs Israel | Parc des Princes, Paris (Match 7)
- Group D: Japan vs Paraguay | Stade de Bordeaux (Match 8)
Saturday, 27 July 2024 | 2 PM to 10 PM (BST)
- Group A: France vs Guinea | Stade de Nice (Match 9)
- Group A: New Zealand vs USA | Stade de Marseille (Match 10)
- Group B: Argentina vs Iraq | Stade de Lyon (Match 11)
- Group B: Ukraine vs Morocco | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne (Match 12)
- Group C: Uzbekistan vs Egypt | Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes (Match 13)
- Group C: Dominican Republic vs Spain | Stade de Bordeaux (Match 14)
- Group D: Israel vs Paraguay | Parc des Princes, Paris (Match 15)
- Group D: Japan vs Mali | Stade de Bordeaux (Match 16)
Tuesday, 30 July 2024 | 2 PM to 10 PM (BST)
- Group A: New Zealand vs France | Stade de Marseille (Match 17)
- Group A: USA vs Guinea | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne (Match 18)
- Group B: Ukraine vs Argentina | Stade de Lyon (Match 19)
- Group B: Morocco vs Iraq | Stade de Nice (Match 20)
- Group C: Dominican Republic vs Uzbekistan | Parc des Princes, Paris (Match 21)
- Group C: Spain vs Egypt | Stade de Bordeaux (Match 22)
- Group D: Israel vs Japan | Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes (Match 23)
- Group D: Paraguay vs Mali | Parc des Princes, Paris (Match 24)
Quarter-finals
Friday, 2 August 2024 | 2 PM to 11 PM (BST)
- Match 25: 1A vs 2B | Stade de Bordeaux
- Match 26: 1B vs 2A | Parc des Princes, Paris
- Match 27: 1C vs 2D | Stade de Marseille
- Match 28: 1D vs 2C | Stade de Lyon
Semi-finals
Monday, 5 August 2024 | 5 PM to 11 PM (BST)
- Match 29: Winner Match 25 vs Winner Match 27 | Stade de Lyon
- Match 30: Winner Match 26 vs Winner Match 28 | Stade de Marseille
Bronze medal match
Thursday, 8 August 2024 | Kick-off at 4 PM (BST)
- Match 31: Loser Match 29 vs Loser Match 30 | Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Gold medal match
Friday 9 August 2024 | Kick-off at 5 PM (BST)
- Match 32: Winner Match 29 vs Winner Match 30 | Parc des Princes, Paris