The men’s and women’s Olympic soccer tournaments are always a big deal in international football. While they might not have the same prestige as the FIFA World Cup or the European Championships, winning a gold medal for your country is a dream for many players.
For the 2024 Paris Games, both the USA men’s and women’s teams are set to compete, along with traditional football powerhouses like Spain, Brazil, Argentina, and the host nation, France. Fans can expect two weeks of thrilling action starting on July 24, when the group stage kicks off.
Olympic soccer: How the format works for Paris 2024
- Qualifying and Group Stage:
- Teams from different regions compete in qualifying events to earn their spot in the Olympic soccer tournament.
- Each regional federation (like UEFA for Europe or CONMEBOL for South America) decides its own qualifying process.
- In the men’s tournament, there are 16 teams, and in the women’s tournament, there are 12 teams.
- France, as the host nation, automatically qualifies for both events.
- The qualified teams are randomly divided into groups. Men’s tournament has four groups of four nations, while the women’s has three groups of four.
- During the group stage, each team plays the others in their group once in a round-robin format.
- Teams earn three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a defeat.
- The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout phase, starting with the quarterfinals. In the women’s event, the two best third-place teams also progress.
- Knockout Stage:
- The knockout phase includes quarterfinals, semifinals, and two medal matches.
- Semifinal losers compete for the bronze medal, while the winners face off in the final for gold.
- These knockout games are single-elimination matches.
- If needed, extra time and penalty shootouts determine the winners.
- Unique Features:
- While the basic format is straightforward, each Olympic soccer tournament has its own special elements that make it different from other international competitions.
How many teams qualified for the Paris Olympics soccer tournaments?
- Men: 16 teams
- Women: 12 teams
