Paris Olympics 2024: Men’s football – teams, players, format, matches, date

Which football teams are playing at the Olympics, when are the games and who are the favourites? Al Jazeera explains.

Men’s football has been a regular fixture in every Olympic Games edition, except in 1896 and 1932.

As the 2024 Olympics kicks off in Paris, Al Jazeera tells you everything you need to know about the men’s football event:

A total of 16 countries have qualified for men’s football at Paris 2024.

Group A: France, United States, Guinea, New Zealand
Group B: Argentina, Morocco, Ukraine, Iraq
Group C: Uzbekistan, Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic
Group D: Japan, Paraguay, Mali, Israel

Unlike the women’s football tournament, which is a full senior-level tournament, the men’s Olympic football event is restricted to players under 23 years old, with a maximum of three over-age players allowed.

The 16 men’s teams are divided into four groups of four teams each. The top two from each group progress to the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals meet in the gold medal match, while the losers play in the bronze medal match.

⚽ Who are the favourites to win the gold?

With a mix of emerging talent and some experienced players, hosts France are the top contenders at the Paris Games. Coached by Thierry Henry, France are looking to secure their second-ever Olympic gold medal, having first won at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

Twice gold medallists Argentina also have a stacked team with Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez and Major League Soccer (MLS) midfield sensation Thiago Almada.

Spain are among the favourites, with Euro 2024 players Fermin Lopez and Alex Baena also representing their country at the Olympics.

⚽ Which other top players will be playing at the Olympics?

Other top players at the Paris Olympics include France’s Michael Olise and Alexandre Lacazette, Argentina’s Nicolas Otamendi and Guinea’s Naby Keita.

⚽ What are the key dates for the matches?

• Group stage: July 24-30
• Quarterfinals: August 2
• Semifinals: August 5
• Bronze medal match: August 8
• Gold medal match: August 9

⚽ Where will the matches be held?

The men’s football matches will be held across seven stadiums in France.

• Bordeaux Stadium in Bordeaux
• Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne
• La Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes
• Lyon Stadium in Decines-Charpieu (near Lyon)
• Marseille Stadium in Marseille
• Nice Stadium in Nice
• Parc des Princes in Paris

⚽ What happens if a match ends in a draw?

If a match is level at the end of normal playing time, extra time of two 15 minutes each will be played. If still tied, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout.

⚽ How many players are in each team?

The participating countries can name a squad of 18 players, including a maximum of three over-age players. They are also allowed to name four reserve players.

⚽ Which teams have won the most golds?

Hungary and Great Britain have won the most gold medals – three each – in men’s football at the Olympics while Brazil, Argentina, the former Soviet Union and Uruguay have won two times each.

Brazil have the most medals (seven) including back-to-back golds in 2020 and 2016. However, the Brazilians will not be defending their title at the Paris Games after they failed to qualify for the first time since 2004.

⚽ Keep up to date:

You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated Paris 2024 Olympics tournament page with all the news and features, as well as event build-up and live text commentary on selected football, basketball, tennis and boxing fixtures.