Football at the Summer Olympics#Men's tournament

Football was not included in the program at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, as international football was in its infancy at the time. However, sources claim that an unofficial football tournament was organised during the first competition, with participating teams including Athens and Smyrna (İzmir), then part of the Ottoman Empire.{{sfn|Goldblatt|2008|p=243}} However, according to Bill Mallon's research, this is an error which has been perpetuated in multiple texts.{{cite book |author1=Mallon, Bill |author2=Widlund, Ture |title=The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary |location=Jefferson |publisher=McFarland |year=1998 |isbn=0-7864-0379-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/resultsofearlymo00mall/page/118 118] | url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/resultsofearlymo00mall}}

Tournaments were played at the 1900 and 1904 games and the Intercalated Games of 1906, but these were contested by various clubs and scratch teams.{{sfn|Goldblatt|2008|p=243}} Although the IOC considers the 1900 and 1904 tournaments to be official Olympic events, they are not recognised by FIFA, and neither recognises the Intercalated Games today. In 1900 the competition was won by the London amateurs of Upton Park FC, representing Great Britain. The 1904 tournament was won by Canada, represented by Galt FC.

In the London Games of 1908 a proper international tournament was organised by the Football Association, featuring just six teams. The number of teams rose to eleven in 1912, when the competition was organised by the Swedish Football Association. Many of these early matches were unbalanced, as evidenced by high scoring games; two players, Sophus Nielsen in 1908 and Gottfried Fuchs in 1912, each scored ten goals in a single match. All players were amateurs, in accordance with the Olympic rules, which meant that countries could not send their full senior national teams. The National Olympic Committee for Great Britain and Ireland asked the Football Association to send an English national amateur team. Some of the English members played with professional clubs, most notably Derby County's Ivan Sharpe, Bradford City F.C. Harold Walden and Chelsea's Vivian Woodward. England won the first two official tournaments convincingly, beating Denmark both times.

File:Uruguay 1928 olympics.jpg that won the 1928 Olympic tournament]]

During the 1920 final against Belgium, the Czechoslovakia national football team walked off the field to protest the refereeing of John Lewis{{sfn|Goldblatt|2008|p=244}} and the militarised mood within the stadium in Antwerp. This would be the final all-European football competition at the Olympic games, with Egypt, the United States, and Uruguay participating in 1924.{{sfn|Goldblatt|2008|p=244}} With teams from new regions the quality of play increased, as did fan interest.{{sfn|Goldblatt|2008|p=244}} Uruguay dominated the tournament, winning their four games by a combined score of 15-1: the final was a 3–0 victory over Switzerland.{{sfn|Goldblatt|2008|p=244}} In 1928, football was the most popular event at the games{{sfn|Goldblatt|2008|p=247}} and the final was an all-South American affair. Because no other major international tournament existed yet, Uruguay defeated Argentina 2–1 in what David Goldblatt says was "football's first world championship".{{sfn|Goldblatt|2008|p=246}} After these tournaments, FIFA realized that the Olympic movement prevented nations from competing on an equal footing and, given that the Olympics only permitted amateurs to participate, did not represent the true strength of the international game. The popularity of international soccer gave FIFA the incentive to create an international tournament, and FIFA began organising the World Cup.{{sfn|Goldblatt|2008|p=247}}

Following Jules Rimet's proposal in 1929 to initiate a professional World Championship of Football, the sport was dropped from the 1932 Los Angeles Games by FIFA in an attempt to promote the new tournament.{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Jonathan |date=2024-07-22 |title=Men’s Olympic soccer remains stuck in the game’s second tier |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/jul/22/mens-olympic-soccer-preview-paris-2024 |access-date=2025-01-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} Football returned to controversy at the 1936 Berlin Games. The German organisers were intent on the return of the game to the Olympic movement since it guaranteed income into the organisation's coffers.{{Cite news |last=Doyle |first=Paul |date=2011-11-24 |title=The forgotten story of ... football, farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/nov/24/forgotten-story-football-1936-olympics |access-date=2025-01-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} The Italian team intimidated a referee. Peru scored a contested victory over Austria in overtime, with a fan invasion of the field at the very end. The Austrian team asked for the result to be annulled, and the game repeated. FIFA agreed, but the Peruvian team refused and left the Olympics.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/nov/24/forgotten-story-football-1936-olympics |title=The forgotten story of ... football, farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics |work=The Guardian |first=Paul |last=Doyle |date=24 November 2011|access-date = 17 December 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141209235152/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/nov/24/forgotten-story-football-1936-olympics|archive-date = 9 December 2014|url-status = live}}{{cite web |title=Controversia – Berlín 36. Un mito derrumbado (The Berlin '36 Controversy. A myth debunked.) |publisher=Larepublica.com.pe |url=http://www.larepublica.com.pe/content/view/238377/| access-date=15 February 2009 |language=es| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322030051/http://www.larepublica.com.pe/content/view/238377| archive-date= 22 March 2009}}

As professionalism spread around the world, the gap in quality between the World Cup and the Olympics widened. The countries that benefited most were the Soviet Bloc countries of Eastern Europe, where top athletes were state-sponsored while retaining their status as amateurs. As a result, young Western amateurs had to face seasoned and veteran Soviet Bloc teams, which put them at a significant disadvantage. All Olympic football tournaments from 1948 to 1980 were dominated by the Soviet Union and its satellites.{{cite web |url=http://www.ozfootball.net/museum/ronlord.html |title=Australian Online Soccer Museum |access-date=3 November 2006 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051103005233/http://www.ozfootball.net/museum/ronlord.html |archive-date=3 November 2005}} Between 1948 and 1980, 23 out of 28 Olympic medals were won by Eastern Europe, with only Sweden (gold in 1948 and bronze in 1952), Denmark (bronze in 1948 and silver in 1960), and Japan (bronze in 1968) breaking their dominance.{{Cite web |last=Dublin |first=T. U. |title=The awkward history of soccer at the Olympics by Dr Connell Vaughan |url=https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/news/the-awkward-history-of-soccer-at-the-olympics-by-dr-connell-vaughan.html |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=www.tudublin.ie |language=en}} The next two tournaments saw some changes due to FIFA's changing of the call-up rules, with only Yugoslavia (bronze in 1984) and the Soviet Union (gold in 1988) winning medals for the Eastern Bloc.

For the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the IOC decided to admit professional players, however, FIFA still did not want the Olympics – or any other men’s soccer competitions to rival the World Cup.

A compromise was struck that allowed teams from countries outside of UEFA and CONMEBOL to field their strongest sides, while restricting UEFA and CONMEBOL (the strongest confederations whose teams had played all finals and won every single World Cup title) countries to players who had not played in a World Cup.{{Cite web |date=July 16, 1983 |title=Olympics Define Soccer Eligibility |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/16/sports/olympics-define-soccer-eligibility.html |access-date=September 15, 2024 |website=New York Times |page=20, Section 1}}{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Randy |date=1986-12-12 |title=IOC Takes Pro and Con Positions on Pros |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-12-sp-2552-story.html |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Litsky |first=Frank |date=March 30, 1986 |title=I.O.C. EXPECTED TO EASE AMATEUR POLICY |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/30/sports/ioc-expected-to-ease-amateur-policy.html |access-date=September 15, 2024 |website=New York Times |page=9, Section 5}}

The 1984 rules were maintained also for the 1988 edition, but with an additional rider: any European and South American footballers who had previously played less than 90 minutes in one single match of the World Cup, were eligible.{{Cite web|title=Football Tournament of the Olympic Games - Overview|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/olympics.html|access-date=15 October 2021|website=RSSSF}}

Since 1992, male competitors have been required to be under 23 years old,{{Cite news |date=2024-03-01 |title=FIFA SETS OLYMPICS AGE LIMIT |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1988/07/03/fifa-sets-olympics-age-limit/c3bc6f38-54f3-49b4-8093-732974dca9e2/ |access-date=2024-09-15 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite news |last=Ap |date=1988-07-04 |title=Sports News Briefs; Age Limit is Set For Games Soccer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/04/sports/sports-news-briefs-age-limit-is-set-for-games-soccer.html |access-date=2025-01-20 |work=The New York Times |pages=34, Section 1 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} and since 1996, a maximum of three over-23-year-old players have been allowed per squad.{{refn|group=note|name=2020AgeEligibility|For the 2020 Summer Olympics, the age for the eligible players who had been already qualified were adjusted to under 24 years old, by reason of that Olympics being postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press|date=2020-04-03 |title=Olympic men's football age limit raised to 24 after Tokyo Games postponement |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/04/olympic-football-age-limit-raised-to-24-tokyo-games-postponement |access-date=2024-09-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |last=Wallace |first=Ava |date=2020-04-04 |title=FIFA extends men’s age limit for the Tokyo Olympics |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/04/fifa-extends-mens-age-limit-tokyo-olympics/ |access-date=2024-09-15 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}}}{{Cite web |last=Cart |first=Julie |date=1994-10-17 |title=SOCCER / JULIE CART : Liekoski Faces a Difficult Task Getting U.S. Into Medal Round |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-17-sp-51413-story.html |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Grahame L. |date=1996-05-06 |title=There's No Luck of Draw for U.S. Soccer Teams |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-05-06-sp-1033-story.html |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} African countries have taken particular advantage of this, with Nigeria and Cameroon winning in 1996 and 2000 respectively.{{Cite web |last=Dove |first=Ed |date=2024-07-17 |title=They shone at the Olympics... but what happened next to these soccer stars? |url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/40578468/olympic-games-happened-african-football-stars |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}

Because of the unusual format and the separation from the main national teams that play the World Cup and top continental tournaments, historically strong men's national teams have unimpressive Olympic records. Uruguay, who won the two tournaments prior to the World Cup's creation, only qualified again in 2012, after an 84-year absence.{{Cite web |date=2012-06-20 |title=Uruguay back in Olympic football after 84 years |url=https://www.deseret.com/2012/6/20/20419881/uruguay-back-in-olympic-football-after-84-years/ |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Deseret News |language=en}} Argentina won silver twice (1928 and 1996) before the 2004 tournament, but its appearance in Athens 2004, in which it won the first gold medal, was only their seventh overall.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Grahame L. |date=2004-08-28 |title=Argentina Looks Unstoppable |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-aug-28-sp-olymensoccer28-story.html |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Grahame L. |date=2008-08-24 |title=Argentina wins the gold medal again |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-24-sp-olysoccer24-story.html |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} Brazil's silver medals in the 1984, 1988 and 2012 editions were the best they had achieved until back-to-back golds in 2016 and 2020, the former on home soil.{{Cite web |last=Straus |first=Brian |date=2016-07-26 |title=Olympic men's soccer: Neymar, Brazil eye 1st gold |url=https://www.si.com/olympics/2016/07/26/rio-2016-olympics-mens-soccer-preview-brazil-neymar |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Sports Illustrated |language=en-us}}{{Cite news |last=Ronay |first=Barney |date=2016-08-21 |title=Neymar the shootout hero blasts Brazil to Olympic football gold against Germany |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/20/brazil-germany-rio-2016-mens-football-olympic-final-match-report |access-date=2024-09-15 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}{{Cite web |last=AZZONI |first=TALES |date=2016-08-21 |title=Neymar's gold-winning penalty goal electrifies Brazil |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/sports/brazils-biggest-moment-of-rio-olympics-neymars-goal-brings-soccer-gold/ |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Press |first=The Oakland |date=2016-08-20 |title=Neymar kick is gold, giving Brazil 1st Olympic soccer title |url=https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2016/08/20/neymar-kick-is-gold-giving-brazil-1st-olympic-soccer-title/ |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=The Oakland Press |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2016-08-20 |title=Neymar gives Brazil soccer gold after shootout |url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/17355404/neymar-gives-brazil-soccer-gold-penalty-shootout |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Chiari |first=Mike |title=Brazil Defeats Spain to Win 2021 Olympic Men’s Soccer Gold Medal |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10009865-brazil-defeats-spain-to-win-2021-olympic-mens-soccer-gold-medal |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}} Italy has only won the Olympic title once, in 1936, although along with the two bronzes, the team has the highest number of appearances in the tournament, with 15, the last in 2008.{{Cite web |date=August 9, 2007 |title=Italy win Olympics place after Under-21 play-off |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/sports/soccer/italy-win-olympics-place-after-under-21-play-off-idUSL21235175/ |access-date=September 15, 2024 |website=Reuters}} France won the Olympic title in 1984, but only qualified twice ever since. A team from Germany won the gold medal only once, in 1976 (East Germany), and the reunified team did not make an Olympic appearance until 2016, when they won silver. Spain has won gold in 1992 and 2024, the former as hosts, and followed it with two silver medals (in 2000 and 2020, having also won a third in 1920), along with a few failures to qualify.

{{main|Great Britain men's Olympic football team|Great Britain women's Olympic football team}}

Football in the United Kingdom has no single governing body, and there are separate teams for the UK's four Home Nations: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Further to this, only the English Football Association (FA) is affiliated to the British Olympic Association (BOA), and the FA entered "Great Britain" teams to the football tournaments until 1972.

In 1950, the FA abolished the distinction between "amateur" and "professional" football, and ceased to enter the Olympics. Even though FIFA has allowed professionals at the Olympics since 1984, the FA did not re-enter, as the Home Nations were concerned that a united British Olympic team would set a precedent that might cause FIFA to question their separate status in other FIFA competitions, and even their status on or the existence of the International Football Association Board.{{Cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/news.cfm?newsid=4029&pageid=155&back=1 |title=The Scottish Football Association |access-date=12 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080809121330/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/news.cfm?newsid=4029 |archive-date=9 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}http://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/YOUR-VIEWS-Olympic-football-threat.4327759{{Dead link|date=September 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

When London was selected to host the 2012 Games, there was pressure on the English FA to exercise the host nation's automatic right to field a team.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/london_2012/7579487.stm |work=BBC News |title=Brown pays tribute to GB success |date=24 August 2008 | access-date=2 May 2010}} In 2009 the plan agreed by the FA with the Welsh FA, Scottish FA and Irish FA was only to field English players;{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/8072981.stm |title=Nations pave way for 2012 GB team |website=BBC Sport |date=29 May 2009 |access-date=29 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531083536/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/8072981.stm |archive-date=31 May 2009 |url-status=live}} however the BOA overruled this,{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/8404386/London-2012-Olympics-Gareth-Bale-and-non-English-players-have-legal-right-to-play-for-Team-GB.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912035553/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/8404386/London-2012-Olympics-Gareth-Bale-and-non-English-players-have-legal-right-to-play-for-Team-GB.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 September 2012 |title=London 2012 Olympics: Gareth Bale and non-English players have no 'legal right' to play for Team GB |work=Daily Telegraph |date=24 March 2011|access-date=28 April 2011}} and ultimately there were Welsh players in the men's squad and Scots players in the women's squad.{{cite news |last1=Idessane |first1=Kheredine |title=London 2012: No Scotland or N Ireland in Olympic football squad |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/18653453 |access-date=26 August 2020 |work=BBC Sport |date=29 June 2012}} After the 2012 games, the FA decided that no team would be entered in subsequent men's tournaments, but was open to fielding a women's team again. The distinction recognised the importance and status of Olympic football in the women's international game.{{cite news |last=Kelso |first=Paul |title=British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Hunt criticises Football Association for lack of support |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9476068/British-Olympic-Association-chief-executive-Andy-Hunt-criticises-Football-Association-for-lack-of-support.html |publisher=Daily Telegraph|access-date=15 August 2012 |location=London |date=14 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815080415/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9476068/British-Olympic-Association-chief-executive-Andy-Hunt-criticises-Football-Association-for-lack-of-support.html|archive-date=15 August 2012|url-status=live}}

For the 2020 tournament, FIFA stated that the women's UK team (not applied to the men's UK team) may enter the Olympics after the four FAs agreed, depending on the performance of women's English team in 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup (which serves as the European qualification for the Olympics). This brought women's football under the BOA jurisdiction in line with the long-standing qualification rules in field hockey and rugby sevens, although the home nation's sevens teams were subsumed into a standing Great Britain team in 2022.{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/news/y=2018/m=10/news=organising-committee-takes-important-decisions-on-fifa-women-s-world-cup.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001184011/https://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/news/y=2018/m=10/news=organising-committee-takes-important-decisions-on-fifa-women-s-world-cup.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 October 2018 |title=Organising Committee takes important decisions on FIFA Women's World Cup |publisher=FIFA|website=FIFA.com |date=1 October 2018|access-date=20 December 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45712449 |title=Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Home nations agree to GB women's football team |website=BBC Sport |date=1 October 2018|access-date=20 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128035143/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45712449|archive-date=28 November 2018|url-status=live}}

{{main|List of Olympic venues in football}}

Due to the number of large stadia required for the Olympic tournament, venues in distant cities – often more than {{convert|200|km|mi|abbr=on}} away from the main host – are typically used for the football tournament. In an extreme example, two early-round venues for the 1984 Games were on the East Coast of the United States, well over {{convert|2,000|mi|km}} from the host city of Los Angeles. The next Games held in the United States, the 1996 Games, were unique in that no matches were held in the host city of Atlanta; the nearest venue and the site of the finals was {{convert|65|mi|km}} away on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. Counting the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, there are 127 venues that have hosted Olympic football, the most of any sport.

From the 1992 Summer Olympics Football games always start before the opening ceremony because of the event's calendar which needs to be longer than other sports. Since 1996, football starts two days before the games opening ceremonies and since then it is a common condition for some sports.

For both the men's and women's tournaments, the competition consists of a round-robin group stage followed by a knockout stage. Teams are placed into groups of 4 teams, with each team playing each other team in its group once. Teams earn 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. The top two teams in each group (as well as the top two third-place finishers, in the women's tournament) advance to the knockout rounds. The knockout rounds are a single-elimination tournament consisting of quarterfinals, semifinals, and the gold and bronze medal matches.

Matches consist of two halves of 45 minutes each. Since 2004, during the knockout rounds, if the match is tied after 90 minutes, two 15-minute halves of extra time are played (extra time is skipped in favour of immediate penalty kicks in the bronze medal match if it is played on the same day in the same stadium as the gold medal match). If the score remains tied, penalty kicks, which is 5 rounds, plus extra rounds if tied, are used to determine the winner.{{Cite web |url=http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/02/54/40/46/oftsregulationsrio2016-e_neutral.pdf |title=Regulations for the Olympic Football Tournaments |access-date=1 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820102830/http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/02/54/40/46/oftsregulationsrio2016-e_neutral.pdf |archive-date=20 August 2016 |url-status=dead}}

The qualifying tournament, like that for the World Cup, is organised along continental lines. Most continental confederations organise a special Under-23 qualifying tournament, although the European qualifiers are drawn from the finalists of the UEFA Under-21 Championship. Teams participating in the preliminary and final competitions must be composed of U-23 players, with up to three players who are at least 23. For Paris 2024, U-23 players were born after 1 January 2001.{{Cite web |url=http://www.concacaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/FIFA-Regulations-for-the-Olympic-Football-Tournament-Games-of-the-XXXI-Olympiad-Rio-de-Janeiro-2016.pdf |title=REGULATIONS for the Olympic Football Tournaments|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906113402/http://www.concacaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/FIFA-Regulations-for-the-Olympic-Football-Tournament-Games-of-the-XXXI-Olympiad-Rio-de-Janeiro-2016.pdf|archive-date=6 September 2015|url-status=dead}}

For the 2024 Games, the number of places allocated to each continent is:

• Europe – 4 (includes host France)
• Asia – 3 or 4
• Africa – 3 or 4
• South America – 2
• North America – 2
• Oceania – 1

• 1900–1904: Club teams
• 1908–1948: National teams (full A)
• 1952–1980: National amateur teams (countries from Eastern Europe competed with essentially professional players nominally employed by organs of the state such as armed forces.)[https://memoriasdelfutbol.com/futbol-juegos-olimpicos-historia-2/ Fútbol en los Juegos Olímpicos]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905111835/https://memoriasdelfutbol.com/futbol-juegos-olimpicos-historia-2/ |date=5 September 2021 }} by José M. Martín, 8 August 2021
• 1984–1988: National teams (with UEFA/CONMEBOL restrictions)
• 1992: National U23 team
• 1996–present: National U23 team (with three overage players)

• 1996–present: National team (full A)

{{infobox football tournament

| name = Men's Olympic football tournament

| logo = Football pictogram.svg

| caption =

| organiser = IOC
FIFA

| founded = 1900The 1900 and 1904 tournaments are not recognized by FIFA. The competition has been held regularly, except 1932. Since 1992, only the U23 national teams are allowed to participate.

| region = International

| number of teams = 16 (finals)
(from 6 confederations)

| current champions = {{fbu|23|ESP}}
(2nd title)

| most successful team = {{fb|GBR}}
{{fb|HUN}}
(3 titles each)

| website =

| current = 2024 Summer Olympics

}}

Numbers refer to the final placing of each team at the respective Games. Host nation is shown in bold.

{{Main|Men's Olympic football tournament records and statistics}}

;Keys

• {{color box|#d0e7ff|border=silver}} Contested by club teams instead of proper national squads
• {{color box|#ccffcc|border=silver}} Playoff match after the final ended in a tie

;Notes

{{reflist|group=n}}

Below are the 41 nations that have reached at least the semi-finals in the Summer Olympics finals.

{{infobox football tournament

| name = Women's Olympic football tournament

| logo = Women's football pictogram.svg

| caption =

| organiser = IOC
FIFA

| founded = 1996

| region = International

| number of teams = 12 (finals)
(from 6 confederations)

| current champions = {{fbw|USA}}
(5th title)

| most successful team = {{fbw|USA}}
(5 titles)

| website =

| current = 2024 Summer Olympics

}}

The women's tournament is contested between the full senior national teams, with no restrictions.{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Randy |date=1993-09-19 |title=IOC to Welcome Palestine : Olympics: Two decades after Munich massacre, executive committee recommends membership. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-19-sp-36871-story.html |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} One place is reserved for the host country. Of the remaining teams, as in World Cup contests, a specific number of places are reserved for teams from each continental region; the European (UEFA) teams until 2020 are chosen from the most successful European teams in the previous year's World Cup; the UEFA Women's Nations League which its finals is held in the same year as the Olympics was used from 2024, while the other continental regions host their own qualifying tournaments in the build-up to the Olympics.

The first women's tournament was at the 1996 Atlanta Games. The United States won the gold medal. Norway defeated the U.S. in 2000 by a golden goal that was highly controversial and seemed like a handball, but was allowed to stand.{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Samantha |title=Julie Foudy remembers USWNT's Sydney 2000 Gold Medal match: 'I can't even watch that game again' |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/womens-olympic-tournament/story/4190714/julie-foudy-remembers-uswnts-sydney-2000-gold-medal-match-on-20th-anniversary |access-date=31 August 2021 |work=ESPN |date=September 28, 2020}} The finals of the next two tournaments, in 2004 and 2008, also went to extra time, with the U.S. defeating Brazil both times. In 2012 the U.S. won their fourth gold medal defeating Japan 2–1 in the final. In 2016 Germany won its first gold, defeating in the final Sweden, who upset in the succession the U.S. and hosts Brazil. In 2020, Canada won gold on penalties over Sweden, having previously also beaten Brazil and the U.S.

Allocation of places for each continent in the 2024 Games was:

• Europe – 3 (includes host France)
• Africa – 2
• Asia – 2
• South America – 2
• North America – 2
• Oceania – 1

Numbers refer to the final placing of each team at the respective Games. Host nation is shown in bold.

{{Main|Women's Olympic football tournament records and statistics}}

;Keys

• a.e.t. – after extra time
• a.s.d.e.t. – after sudden death extra time

Below are the ten nations that have reached at least the semi-finals in the Summer Olympics finals.

• Total medals won (men's and women's) including 1900 and 1904
• Bronze medals shared in 1972 tournament

{{updated|gold medal match of 2024 Olympics women's tournament}}

{{Medals table

| caption =

| host =

| flag_template = flagIOCteam

| event =

| team =

| gold_USA = 5 | silver_USA = 2 | bronze_USA = 2

| gold_HUN = 3 | silver_HUN = 1 | bronze_HUN = 1

| gold_GBR = 3 | silver_GBR = 0 | bronze_GBR = 0

| gold_BRA = 2 | silver_BRA = 6 | bronze_BRA = 2

| gold_ESP = 2 | silver_ESP = 3 | bronze_ESP = 0

| gold_ARG = 2 | silver_ARG = 2 | bronze_ARG = 0

| gold_URS = 2 | silver_URS = 0 | bronze_URS = 3 | name_URS = {{flagIOCteam|URS}}

| gold_CAN = 2 | silver_CAN = 0 | bronze_CAN = 2

| gold_URU = 2 | silver_URU = 0 | bronze_URU = 0

| gold_YUG = 1 | silver_YUG = 3 | bronze_YUG = 1 | name_YUG = {{flagIOCteam|YUG}}

| gold_SWE = 1 | silver_SWE = 2 | bronze_SWE = 2

| gold_FRA = 1 | silver_FRA = 2 | bronze_FRA = 0

| gold_POL = 1 | silver_POL = 2 | bronze_POL = 0

| gold_GER = 1 | silver_GER = 1 | bronze_GER = 4

| gold_GDR = 1 | silver_GDR = 1 | bronze_GDR = 1 | name_GDR = {{flagIOCteam|GDR}}

| gold_NGR = 1 | silver_NGR = 1 | bronze_NGR = 1

| gold_TCH = 1 | silver_TCH = 1 | bronze_TCH = 0 | name_TCH = {{flagIOCteam|TCH}}

| gold_ITA = 1 | silver_ITA = 0 | bronze_ITA = 2

| gold_NOR = 1 | silver_NOR = 0 | bronze_NOR = 2

| gold_MEX = 1 | silver_MEX = 0 | bronze_MEX = 1

| gold_BEL = 1 | silver_BEL = 0 | bronze_BEL = 1

| gold_CMR = 1 | silver_CMR = 0 | bronze_CMR = 0

| gold_DEN = 0 | silver_DEN = 3 | bronze_DEN = 1

| gold_BUL = 0 | silver_BUL = 1 | bronze_BUL = 1

| gold_JPN = 0 | silver_JPN = 1 | bronze_JPN = 1

| gold_AUT = 0 | silver_AUT = 1 | bronze_AUT = 0

| gold_CHN = 0 | silver_CHN = 1 | bronze_CHN = 0

| gold_PAR = 0 | silver_PAR = 1 | bronze_PAR = 0

| gold_SUI = 0 | silver_SUI = 1 | bronze_SUI = 0

| gold_NED = 0 | silver_NED = 0 | bronze_NED = 3

| gold_CHI = 0 | silver_CHI = 0 | bronze_CHI = 1

| gold_GHA = 0 | silver_GHA = 0 | bronze_GHA = 1

| gold_KOR = 0 | silver_KOR = 0 | bronze_KOR = 1

| gold_MAR = 0 | silver_MAR = 0 | bronze_MAR = 1

| gold_EUA = 0 | silver_EUA = 0 | bronze_EUA = 1 | name_EUA = {{flagIOCteam|EUA}}

| gold_FRG = 0 | silver_FRG = 0 | bronze_FRG = 1 | name_FRG = {{flagIOCteam|FRG}}

}}

• Football at the Youth Olympic Games

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last=Goldblatt |first=David |author-link=David Goldblatt (writer) |title=The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Football |date=January 2, 2008 |isbn=978-0-14-101582-8 |publisher=Riverhead Books |location=New York}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://olympics.com/en/sports/football/ Football news and highlight] at Olympics.com
• [https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/mensolympic Men's Olympic Football] at FIFA.com
• [https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/womens/womensolympic Women's Olympic Football] at FIFA.com
• [https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/olympics.html Football Tournament of the Olympic Games – Overview] at the RSSSF

{{Summer Olympics football tournament winners}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Football Women's}}

{{Football at the Summer Olympics}}

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Olympic Games

Category:Sports at the Summer Olympics

Olympics