Football at the Paris 2024 Olympics
At Tokyo 2020, the gold medals were won by Brazil and Canada in the men’s and women’s football tournaments respectively.
Here's all you need to know about the sport at Paris 2024.
Football schedule and venue at Paris 2024
The football events run from 24 July to 10 August. Seven stadia will be used throughout the tournament.
Nice and St Etienne will be among the group stage venues, with Bordeaux hosting games up to and including the quarter-finals.
Semi-finals will be in Lyon and Marseille, with a bronze medal match in Nantes and the final held at Paris’ legendary Parc des Princes, which can accommodate 48,000 fans.
Scoring and rules in football
The world’s most popular sport returns for a 29th Olympic appearance for men and an eighth for women.
The basic rules of the Olympic sport are the same as in domestic and international football. Two teams of 11 players compete in a 90-minute match with the side that scores the most goals claiming the win. Group matches can end in a draw but knockout games will go to extra time and penalties, if needed.
The 16 men’s teams are split into four groups, with the top two in each advancing to the quarter-finals. There are 12 women’s teams across three groups – the top two in each progress, along with the two best third-placed teams.
Only three men per squad can be over 23 but there are no age restrictions for the women.
Who has won the most medals in Olympic football?
USA are the most successful nation in the sport at the Olympics, winning eight medals (four golds). Hungary are second with five medals (three golds).
Great Britain have won three Olympic gold medals (three golds).
In 2012, when London was hosting, Team GB put forward a men's team but subsequent attempts to re-form in 2016 were shelved after the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations didn't back the plans and they haven't been tried again.
The women’s team failed to qualify after England finished second in their Nations League group.
