The Paris 2024 Olympics are finally here, and the football tournament is sure to be one to remember. With the group stage draws revealed, teams can chart their course towards the coveted gold medal.
The Olympic Games are always a great event and football is one of the standout attractions. The sport first appeared at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900 and has been a staple ever since, except for the 1932 Games in Los Angeles.
Women's football was added to the Olympic Games at the Atlanta Games in 1996, and the upcoming Paris 2024 football tournament is expected to continue this rich tradition and deliver thrilling, captivating matches.
In women's football, the United States has been dominant, winning gold medals in Atlanta (1996), Athens (2004), Beijing (2008) and London (2012). Germany won at Rio 2016 and Canada won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
In men's football, European teams have led the way, including Spain's victory in Barcelona 1992. Since Atlanta 1996, teams from Africa and Latin America have brought home every gold medal, with Brazil winning consecutive tournaments, including at Tokyo 2020.
Read more: Why Christian Pulisic won't be at the Olympics? FIFA rules bar many of the biggest men's stars from the Olympics
Paris 2024 Olympic Football Tournament: Venues, Location Details
The tournament will take place across seven venues in different French cities, providing greater geographical coverage and allowing more fans to enjoy the matches live.
Matches will be played in stadiums across France, including Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Nantes and Saint-Etienne, with the final taking place at Paris Saint-Germain's Parc des Princes.
The stadiums where the matches will be held are:
| city | Stadium | capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Marseille | Stade de Marseille | 67,394 |
| Décines-Charpieu (Lyon area) | Stade de Lyon | 59,186 |
| Paris | Parc des Princes | 47,929 |
| Bordeaux | Stade de Bordeaux | 42,115 |
| Saint-Étienne | Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium | 41,965 |
| Nice | Stade de Nice | 36,178 |
| Nantes | Stade de la Beaujoire | 35,322 |
When will the football competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics start?
The football tournament will take place from 24 July to 10 August 2024 and will feature both men's and women's teams.
The men's football competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics will begin on July 24 and conclude with the final on August 9. The women's competition will begin on July 25 and the final will be held on August 10.
The draw for the group stage took place in Paris on 20 March 2024.
Read more: 2024 U.S. Men's Olympic Soccer Team Roster
Paris 2024 Olympic Football Tournament: Dates, kick-off times, schedule
Football competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will begin on Wednesday, July 24, with the men's group stage featuring a match between Uzbekistan and European powerhouse Spain.
The women's competition will begin on Thursday, July 25, with world champions Spain taking on Japan.
Kick-off times below are local time (CET). The UK (BST) is 1 hour behind Paris, the US/Canada (ET) is 6 hours behind, India (IST) is 3.5 hours ahead and Australia (AEDT) is 8 hours ahead.
For example, a kick-off of 3pm Central European Time is equivalent to 2pm British Summer Time / 9am Eastern Standard Time / 6:30pm Indian Standard Time / 11pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time.
Paris 2024 Olympic Games Men's Football Tournament Schedule
Group Stage
| date | group | Match | venue | Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 24th | C | Uzbekistan vs Spain | Parc des Princes | 3 pm |
| July 24th | B | Argentina vs Morocco | Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium | 3 pm |
| July 24th | C | Egypt vs. Dominican Republic | La Beaujoire Stadium | 5pm |
| July 24th | a | Guinea v New Zealand | Nice Stadium | 5pm |
| July 24th | is | Japan vs Paraguay | Bordeaux Stadium | 7pm |
| July 24th | B | Iraq vs Ukraine | Lyon Stadium | 7pm |
| July 24th | is | Mali vs. Israel | Parc des Princes | 9 pm |
| July 24th | a | France vs. America | Marseille Stadium | 9 pm |
| July 27 | C | Dominican Republic v Spain | Bordeaux Stadium | 3 pm |
| July 27 | B | Argentina vs Iraq | Lyon Stadium | 3 pm |
| July 27 | C | Uzbekistan vs Egypt | La Beaujoire Stadium | 5pm |
| July 27 | B | Ukraine vs Morocco | Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium | 5pm |
| July 27 | a | New Zealand v USA | Marseille Stadium | 7pm |
| July 27 | is | Israel vs Paraguay | Parc des Princes | 7pm |
| July 27 | is | Japan vs Mali | Bordeaux Stadium | 9 pm |
| July 27 | a | France v Guinea | Nice Stadium | 9 pm |
| July 30 | C | Dominican Republic v Uzbekistan | Parc des Princes | 3 pm |
| July 30 | C | Spain v Egypt | Bordeaux Stadium | 3 pm |
| July 30 | B | Ukraine vs Argentina | Lyon Stadium | 5pm |
| July 30 | B | Morocco vs Iraq | Nice Stadium | 5pm |
| July 30 | a | USA vs Guinea | Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium | 7pm |
| July 30 | a | New Zealand v France | Marseille Stadium | 7pm |
| July 30 | is | Paraguay vs Mali | Parc des Princes | 9 pm |
| July 30 | is | Israel vs Japan | La Beaujoire Stadium | 9 pm |
Quarter finals
| date | Match | venue | Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2 | Group B Winner vs Group A Runner-up | Parc des Princes | 3 pm |
| August 2 | Group D Winner vs. Group C Runner-up | Lyon Stadium | 5pm |
| August 2 | Group C Winner vs. Group D Runner-up | Marseille Stadium | 7pm |
| August 2 | Group A Winner vs. Group B Runner-up | Bordeaux Stadium | 9 pm |
semifinal
| date | Match | venue | Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 5 | Winner of Quarterfinal 1 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 3 | Marseille Stadium | 6 pm |
| August 5 | Winner of Quarterfinal 2 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 4 | Lyon Stadium | 9 pm |
bronze medal
| date | Match | venue | Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 8 | Bronze Medal Match | Nantes | 5pm |
gold medal
| date | Match | venue | Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 9 | Gold Medal Match | Parc des Princes | 6 pm |
Paris 2024 Olympic Games Women's Football Tournament Schedule
Group Stage
| date | group | Match | venue | Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 25 | C | Spain vs Japan | La Beaujoire Stadium | 5pm |
| July 25 | a | Canada v New Zealand | Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium | 5pm |
| July 25 | C | Nigeria vs Brazil | Bordeaux Stadium | 7pm |
| July 25 | B | Germany v Australia | Marseille Stadium | 7pm |
| July 25 | a | France v Colombia | Lyon Stadium | 9 pm |
| July 25 | B | USA v Zambia | Nice Stadium | 9 pm |
| July 28 | C | Brazil vs Japan | Parc des Princes | 5pm |
| July 28 | a | New Zealand v Colombia | Lyon Stadium | 5pm |
| July 28 | C | Spain v Nigeria | La Beaujoire Stadium | 7pm |
| July 28 | B | Australia v Zambia | Nice Stadium | 7pm |
| July 28 | a | France vs Canada | Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium | 9 pm |
| July 28 | B | America vs Germany | Marseille Stadium | 9 pm |
| July 31 | C | Japan vs Nigeria | La Beaujoire Stadium | 5pm |
| July 31 | C | Brazil vs Spain | Bordeaux Stadium | 5pm |
| July 31 | B | Zambia vs Germany | Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium | 7pm |
| July 31 | B | Australia vs. America | Marseille Stadium | 7pm |
| July 31 | a | New Zealand v France | Lyon Stadium | 9 pm |
| July 31 | a | Colombia vs Canada | Nice Stadium | 9 pm |
Quarter finals
| date | Match | venue | Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 3 | Group B Winner vs. Group C Runner-up | Parc des Princes | 3 pm |
| August 3 | Group C Winner vs. Group A/B 3rd Place | Lyon Stadium | 5pm |
| August 3 | Group A Runner-up vs. Group B Runner-up | Marseille Stadium | 7pm |
| August 3 | Group A Winner vs. Group B/C 3rd Place | La Beaujoire Stadium | 9 pm |
semifinal
| date | Match | venue | Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 6 | Winner of Quarterfinal 2 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 4 | Lyon Stadium | 6 pm |
| August 6 | Winner of Quarterfinal 1 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 3 | Marseille Stadium | 9 pm |
bronze medal
| date | Match | venue | Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 9 | Bronze Medal Match | Lyon Stadium | 3 pm |
gold medal
| date | Match | venue | Time (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 10 | Gold Medal Match | Parc des Princes | 5pm |
Paris 2024 Olympic Football Tournament: Full list of participating teams
In the men's tournament, 16 teams qualified through various qualifying events.
The United States Men's National Team (USMNT) is competing in the Olympic Games for the first time since 2008. Host nation France and reigning World Cup champions Argentina are among the top favorites to win the tournament, especially after two-time defending champions Brazil failed to qualify.
On the women's side, the United States Women's National Team (USWNT), currently under new coach Emma Hayes, is considered the favorite to win gold, as they have not won a gold medal since the London 2012 Games and are looking to end their Olympic gold medal drought.
The U.S. Women's National Team faces a tough group stage against tough opponents such as Germany, Australia and Zambia. Host nation France is also expected to perform well, and other strong teams include Canada, Brazil, reigning World Cup champions Spain and Japan.
Paris 2024 men's football teams
| How to obtain qualifications | Bath | Participating teams |
|---|---|---|
| Host Country | 1 | France |
| 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship | 2 | United States, Dominican Republic |
| 2023 UEFA European U-21 Championship | 3 | Spain, Israel, Ukraine |
| 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations | 3 | Morocco, Egypt, Mali |
| 2023 OFC Olympic Qualification Tournament | 1 | new zealand |
| 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament | 2 | Paraguay, Argentina |
| 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup | 3 | Japan, Uzbekistan, Iraq |
| AFC-CAF Playoffs | 1 | Guinea |
Paris 2024 women's football teams
| How to obtain qualifications | Bath | Participating teams |
|---|---|---|
| Host Country | 1 | France |
| 2022 CONCACAF World Championship | 1 | America |
| 2022 Copa America Femina | 2 | Brazil, Colombia |
| CONCACAF Playoffs | 1 | Canada |
| 2024 OFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament | 1 | new zealand |
| 2024 UEFA Women's Nations League Final | 2 | Spain, Germany |
| 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifiers | 2 | Australia, Japan |
| 2024 CAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament | 2 | Nigeria, Zambia |
