The world's largest athletics event fittingly includes the world's most popular sport.
With the exception of 1932, when no tournament was held, men's football has been a Summer Olympic sport since 1900, just four years after the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens.
During that time, some of the most accomplished countries in the sport's history have participated in the tournament, as well as some of the best players of their eras, from Lionel Messi to Neymar and Samuel Eto'o.
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But unlike many sports taking place over the coming weeks at the Paris 2024 Olympics, winning a gold medal at the Games is not considered international football's most prestigious or most coveted achievement.
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The reason is quite simple: the vast majority of the world's best athletes are not competing in the Olympics, which currently exists as an under-23 tournament for men.
Why is this so? As we look ahead to the Paris 2024 Olympics, we take a closer look at men's Olympic football and its history.
Why are there U23 men's soccer teams in the Olympics?
Viewers tuning in to the men's soccer matches at the 2024 Paris Olympics hoping to see Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne or pretty much any of the top superstars in world soccer are unfortunately out of luck.
There are some examples, such as Ronaldo, Kane, Haaland and De Bruyne, whose countries have never played in men's football at the Olympics, but apart from that, the men's football event at the 2024 Paris Olympics and at the past 30 Olympic Games has been an under-23 event.
The rule was put in place prior to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, at a time when the Olympics were undergoing radical change, moving from an entirely amateur-only event to one that allowed professional athletes to take part (perhaps most famously with the arrival of the “Dream Team” at the 1992 Olympics).
Following this change, FIFA, the world soccer governing body, did not want to put up various barriers for players to compete in the Olympics and take away from the World Cup as the premier showcase of international soccer. One of the measures was the age limit. Furthermore, because the Olympics is not a FIFA-sanctioned tournament, club teams have the right to refuse players from participating. Many clubs would bar players from competing in both the Olympics and the Euros or Copa America in one summer.
This reality makes men's soccer at the Olympics very different from women's, with the women's side having no such age restrictions.
Not all men's soccer players competing in the Olympics will be under 23. Each country can award up to three spots to players over the age limit.
Most notably, France could have used it on Mbappe this year, but his new club team, Real Madrid, would not allow him to compete in the Olympics.
“My club's position was very clear, so from that moment on I [knew] “I will not take part in the Olympics,” Mbappe told reporters at Euro 2024 in June. “That's the reality and I understand it. I will join a new team in September so it's not the best way to start an adventure. I wish the France team success. I will watch all the games. I hope they win the gold medal.”
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Olympic Men's Soccer Champions
Men's soccer first appeared at the 1900 Paris Olympics, but here is a list of countries that have won Olympic gold medals since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, when the age limit was introduced:
- 1992: Spain
- 1996: Nigeria
- 2000: Cameroon
- 2004: Argentina
- 2008: Argentina
- 2012: Mexico
- 2016: Brazil
- 2020: Brazil
Two-time gold medal winners Brazil will not take part in this year's men's tournament.
USMNT Olympic Schedule
The U.S. men's national soccer team will be competing in this year's Olympics for the first time since 2008.
The United States is in Group A of the tournament, with the top two out of four teams advancing to the knockout stage. If they win their group, they will face the runner-up in Group B, which includes Argentina, Morocco, Iraq, and Ukraine. If they finish second, they will face the winner of Group B.
Here's the USMNT's schedule for the 2024 Paris Olympics:
- Wednesday, July 24: France vs. 3 p.m. ET
- Saturday, July 27vs. New Zealand, 1 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, July 30: vs. Guinea, 1 p.m. ET
USMNT Olympic Roster
Due to age restrictions, the U.S. men's national team roster does not feature many of the team's best-known names, such as Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie.
Two of the Americans' exceptions were given to current USMNT roster players, defenders Walker Zimmerman and Myles Robinson, while the third and final exception was given to MLS' Colorado Rapids standout midfielder Djordje Mihajlovic.
The full 18-player roster for the USMNT at the Paris 2024 Olympics is as follows:
Goalkeeper
- Patrick Schulte
- Gaga Slonina
Defender
- Maximillian Dietz
- Nathan Harriel
- Miles Robinson
- John Tolkien
- Caleb Wiley
- Walker Zimmerman
Midfielder
- Gianluca Busio
- Benjamin Cremaschi
- Jack McGlynn
- Djordje Mihailovic
- Tanner Tessman
forward
- Paxten Aaronson
- Taylor Booth
- Duncan Maguire
- Kevin Paredes
- Griffin Yeo
