Football (also sometimes known as soccer) was the first team sport added to the Olympics, making its Olympic debut at the 1900 Paris Olympics. This tournament featured three club sides in a demonstration event, not a formal competition with national teams. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) later retroactively awarded medals. Football has been an integral part of the Olympic Games program ever since, except in 1932.

Football was not held at the 1932 Los Angeles Games due to a disagreement between FIFA and the IOC over the issue of amateurism, not because the sport was dropped by FIFA in favor of their World Cup tournament. There are conflicting historical accounts regarding a possible football demonstration at the 1896 Olympics, with some sources claiming a match was played while others dispute this.

A women's Olympic football tournament was added to the program in 1996. Currently the men's teams are restricted to including only under-23 players, with a maximum of three over-age players allowed, while there are no age restrictions for the women's teams.

Football at LA28

There have been changes to the number of men's and women's teams for LA28. The men's tournament has been reduced to 12 teams from 16, while there will be 16 women's teams, up from 12, thereby maintaining the overall tournament size consistent with previous Olympic Games.

💡 Pro Tip: The shift to more women's teams reflects the growing global popularity and competitive depth of women's football, while the men's reduction helps maintain the Olympic tournament's distinct identity from the FIFA World Cup.

2024 Paris Olympic Football Tournament

The 2024 Paris Olympics delivered thrilling football action with Spain's men claiming their second Olympic gold medal and the United States women securing a record fifth gold medal. The tournaments featured dramatic matches, late goals, and historic achievements across both competitions.

Medal Winners

Medal Men's Tournament Women's Tournament
🥇 Gold Spain (defeated France 5-3 in extra time) United States (defeated Brazil 1-0)
🥈 Silver France Brazil
🥉 Bronze Morocco (defeated Egypt 6-0) Germany (defeated Spain 1-0)

Men's Tournament Highlights

Spain captured their second Olympic football gold medal, adding to their 1992 Barcelona triumph, in an epic eight-goal thriller against host nation France. The final at Parc des Princes on August 9, 2024, showcased the best of Olympic football with Spain ultimately prevailing 5-3 after extra time. Barcelona youngster Fermin Lopez was the standout performer, scoring five goals throughout the tournament including a brace in the final.

Tournament Top Scorer

Soufiane Rahimi (Morocco) - 8 goals, including a brace in the bronze medal match where Morocco defeated Egypt 6-0 to claim their first-ever Olympic football medal.

Women's Tournament Highlights

The United States Women's National Team (USWNT) secured their record fifth Olympic gold medal with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Brazil on August 10, 2024. Mallory Swanson scored the decisive goal in her 100th international appearance, with the match attended by legendary forward Megan Rapinoe and celebrated by new head coach Emma Hayes, who achieved this triumph just 70 days into her tenure.

The tournament featured dramatic knockout stage matches, with all but one quarterfinal going to extra time. The USWNT's journey to gold included back-to-back extra-time victories against Japan (1-0, Trinity Rodman 105+2') and Germany (1-0, Sophia Smith 95'), showcasing the team's mental toughness and never-say-die attitude.

💡 Pro Tip: The USWNT's 2024 Olympic campaign was historic as they never trailed at any point during the entire tournament, a feat last achieved by the same team during their 2004 gold medal run in Athens.

Brazil's journey to the final included a stunning 4-2 semifinal victory over reigning World Cup champions Spain, marking an emotional end to legendary forward Marta's international career. Despite falling short of gold, Brazil claimed their third Olympic silver medal (after 2004 and 2008). Germany secured the bronze medal with a 1-0 victory over Spain, thanks to Giulia Gwinn's second-half penalty.

Tournament Format and Rules

According to sports science expert Robert Wood, who has analyzed sports performance data for over 25 years, the Olympic football format creates unique strategic challenges that differ significantly from other international tournaments. The compressed schedule and age restrictions for men's teams create a distinct competitive environment that favors depth and squad rotation.

Historical Trivia and Memorable Moments

Year Notable Event
1900 Football debuts at Paris Olympics as first team sport
1904 United States fielded two of three teams, winning silver and bronze
1908 Denmark scored 17 goals against France (including 10 by Sophus Nielsen)
1920 Czechoslovakia abandoned final; Spain won mini-tournament for second place
1932 Football dropped from Olympics; FIFA organizes first World Cup (1930)
1964 Ferenc Bene (Hungary) sets record with 12 goals in one tournament
1972 Third place match ends 2-2; both Soviet Union and East Germany awarded bronze
1984 Professional players allowed if not previously in World Cup
1992 World Cup athletes allowed; under-23 rule with three over-age players introduced
1996 First women's Olympic football tournament; United States wins gold
2024 Spain wins second men's gold (5-3 vs France); USA wins record fifth women's gold (1-0 vs Brazil); Morocco claims first Olympic medal (bronze)

Record Holders and Remarkable Achievements

  • The 1900 and 1904 Olympic football tournaments were originally composed of demonstration matches, contested by various clubs and scratch teams. They have been subsequently upgraded to official status by the IOC with medals attributed to the teams based on the match results (there is also evidence that a football demonstration occurred in 1896).
  • The highest goal scorer in an Olympic football tournament was Hungarian Ferenc Bene, who scored 12 goals in Tokyo 1964. This beat the record by Sophus Nielsen, who scored 11 goals for Denmark in 1908 (including 10 goals in their 17-1 match against France).
  • The best all-time performing football player at the Olympic Games is USA player Christie Rampone who has won Three gold medals and one silver medal. See more on the Greatest Soccer Players at the Olympics.
  • The only woman to appear in seven Olympic football tournaments is Brazilian player Formiga. She played in the inaugural tournament for women's football at the 1996 Summer Olympics, and played her last at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, aged 43.
  • The Brazil men's team won back-to-back gold medals in 2016 and 2020. This is not that unusual, they became the fifth team to win back-to-back gold medals in Olympics men's football. The first to achieve the feat was Great Britain at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics.

The Brazil men's team won back-to-back gold medals in 2016 and 2020. This is not that unusual, they became the fifth team to win back-to-back gold medals in Olympics men's football. The first to achieve the feat was Great Britain at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics.