Football at the Olympics

Men's football is one of the oldest and most consistent events at the Olympics. However, to avoid competition with the World Cup, FIFA has restricted the men's competition to be comprised of under-23 teams, with only three permitted exceptions. The men's teams from every confederation qualify through the most reputed underage category competitions, like the U21 Euro and the U23 Africa Cup of Nations.

Famous players like Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar have participated in previous editions of the Olympics. In fact, Messi won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The 2024 edition also features many popular names, like Julian Alvarez, Alexander Lacazette, Achraf Hakimi, Mohamed Elneny, and Naby Keita.

The women's category was introduced more recently in 1996. However, unlike the men's category, there is no age restriction in the women's competition, which makes the Olympics as competitive, exciting, and prestigious as the FIFA Women's World Cup.