The Olympic men's soccer tournament is a unique opportunity for future talent and forgotten stars to come together and put on a show at the world's oldest athletics competition.
With most of the top international stars having left for holidays after the Copa America and European Championships in the summer and before the club season resumed, the Olympic men's tournament will continue as a youth competition with a few veteran players mixed in.
The Olympic men's tournament is an U-23 competition played amid a congested international soccer calendar, with all but a few players born after Jan. 1, 2001. Each team has room for up to three over-age players on its 18-man roster to accommodate veteran players who did not get enough playing time in the big international tournaments over the summer.
Sporting News takes a closer look at the most impressive teams and the players who have the potential to lead them to glory.
Read more: Who will win gold at the 2024 women's Olympic Games?
2024 Olympic Men's Soccer Gold Medal Odds
| Country | Odds of winning a gold medal (DraftKings — United States) |
Best Finish |
| France | +230 | Gold (1984) |
| Spain | +260 | Gold (1992) |
| Argentina | +275 | Gold medal (2 times, last time in 2008) |
| Morocco | +1100 | First Round (four times, last time in 2012) |
| united states of america | +1600 | Silver (1904)* |
| Paraguay | +2000 | Silver (2004) |
| Egypt | +2000 | 4th (1964) |
| Japan | +2500 | 4th place (2 times, last time in 2020) |
| Ukraine | +3000 | None (first time application) |
| Mali | +4000 | Quality for F (2004) |
| Guinea | +5000 | None (first time application) |
| Uzbekistan | +6500 | None (first time application) |
| Israel | +6500 | Quarter-finals (twice, last time in 1976) |
| new zealand | +10,000 | Quality Free for the Future (2020) |
| Iraq | +12,000 | 4th (2004) |
| Dominican Republic | +15,000 | None (first time application) |
* Only three teams, including two from the United States, participated in the 1904 Olympic soccer tournament.
Because the Olympic men's tournament is a youth tournament, the event has a history of lower-ranked teams advancing to the top. This is because the talent gap between the strongest teams is smaller, as younger players are not as developed as senior international-level players. Additionally, some of the world's most well-known young players (such as Spain's Lamine Yamal, France's Bradley Barcora, and Argentina's Alejandro Garnacho) are unavailable because they have already spent significant time in previous major international tournaments that recently concluded and need to rest.
The host country is the favorite to win the 2024 Summer Olympics, with France considered the most likely to win, but Spain and Argentina are also considered strong contenders, coming close behind France.
There is a large gap between the top three favourites, with Morocco from Africa considered the strongest of the remaining teams, and the United States, who are in the same group as France, also in the top tier.
Who will win the 2024 Olympic men's soccer gold medal?
Best bet: Spain wins the gold medal (+260)
No other team has the depth of young players and the ability to deal with unfavorable matchups like Spain, and while young stars like Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are no longer with the team after playing long periods at Euro 2024, they still have a large number of quality youth players and overage exemptions.
Fermin Lopez could be a breakout star in this tournament after a strong year with Barcelona, while his teammate Pau Kubalci, just 17, will also be a force to be reckoned with in defence, pairing with Eric Garcia to form one of the most formidable defensive lines in the tournament, while goalkeeper Arnau Tenas will serve as backup for Gianluigi Donnarumma at PSG.
They will also benefit from a relaxed draw, allowing them to avoid many of the favourites and top runners up in Group C – something neither France nor Argentina can do.
Dark Horse: Mali (+4000 to win gold medal, +300 to win Group D), Uzbekistan (+6500 to win gold medal, +650 to win Group C)
Mali has a history of excellence at youth level, finishing third at the 2015 U-20 FIFA World Cup and drawing on penalties with heavily favoured Egypt in the semi-finals of the qualifying tournament.
Uzbekistan are similar, having reached the knockout stage at the last U-20 World Cup in 2021 and performing well in a recent friendly against Mali. They will be tough to beat against Spain, but the presence of overage player Eldor Shomurodov will be a big boost in attack.
Stay away from: USA (+1600 to win gold medal, +400 to win Group A)
The U.S. hasn't had a strong track record at youth international tournaments and their roster for this year's tournament is not one to inspire confidence, with several players rejected by their clubs and Diego Luna's absence a bit puzzling.
While some players have impressed, there are so many holes in the roster that coach Marko Mitrovic was forced to leave centre-backs Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmermann out of the over-age pool that they are not favourites to win and could be eliminated in the group stage if they disappoint against Guinea or New Zealand.
Who will win the Golden Boot in the 2024 Olympic men's soccer competition?
| player | Country | Odds to win the Golden Boot (DraftKings — USA) |
| Alexandre Lacazette* | France | +600 |
| Julian Alvarez | Argentina | +600 |
| Arnaud Kalimend | France | +900 |
| Abel Lewis* | Spain | +900 |
| Jean-Philippe Mateta* | France | +900 |
| Sam Omorodion | Spain | +1000 |
| Luciano Gondu | Argentina | +1200 |
| Fermin Lopez | Spain | +1600 |
| Thiago Almada | Argentina | +1600 |
| Michael Olise | France | +1600 |
| Duncan Maguire | united states of america | +2000 |
| Diego Lopez | Spain | +2000 |
| Matisse Rayan Cerki | France | +2000 |
As expected, all of the favourites for the Golden Boot award are from the gold medal front-runners according to the betting markets – in fact, the only player not from France, Spain or Argentina who is priced at odds below 20/1 is United States striker Duncan Maguire.
This shows not only the strength of the top contenders but also the ignorance of the betting market, as players from lesser known teams are often not favoured by the majority of those attending the matches.
Top Favorite: Alexandre Lacazette (+600)
With France expected to advance, the experienced Alexandre Lacazette will be in prime position to rack up goals against a young defence. Lacazette, who was captain's armband this summer on his first international trip since 2017, was in good form for Lyon throughout last season, scoring in a 7-0 friendly win over the Dominican Republic.
Michael Oliseh is also likely to finish with a number of goals, but Lacazette is expected to take the penalty and will have many chances up front.
Best bet: Fermin Lopez (+1600)
After playing just 28 minutes for the senior team at Euro 2024, Fermin Lopez will now be looking to lead his country's youth team to gold medal glory. The 21-year-old midfielder has a wide and diverse skillset but is also more than capable of slotting into the third attacking position.
Lopez enjoyed more consistent playing time in Barcelona's team last season and was a consistent goalscorer, scoring six goals in the final 10 La Liga games of the season and netting the decisive goal against Napoli in the Champions League round of 16. He also scored a goal in a UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan and is on target to help Spain's progress in the group stage against the struggling Dominican Republic.
Best long shot: Eldor Shomurodov (+8000)
The 29-year-old Uzbekistan overage exempt player is one of the most in-form and energetic attackers on this summer's men's Olympic team. His recent club season with Rome was cut short by injury, but he's been energetic in World Cup qualifiers over the past year and has had great success on the international stage. If Uzbekistan surprises by finishing in the top spots, it will give Shomurodov ample opportunities to attack a young and inexperienced defensive line.
