Football will once again be one of the spotlight sports at the Olympic Games this year, with the 28th overall men's tournament and the eighth edition of the women's event to take place in France this summer. While the men's version is an Under-23 tournament, the women's is for senior teams, making it one of the most prestigious events on the sport's calendar.
Qualifying is still taking place in several parts of the world to determine the nations that will feature in the 2024 Olympic football tournaments but, with most of the spots secured, the draw has already taken place to decide the group stages for both events.
So, what was the outcome of the draw for the Olympic football tournaments? GOAL has everything you need to know.
When was the 2024 Olympics football draw?
| Date: | March 20, 2024 |
| Time: | 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm GMT |
| Location: | Paris, France |
The draw for the men's and women's Olympic football tournaments took place on Wednesday March 20, 2024, at the Pulse building in Paris, France. It will begin at 8pm local time (11am PT/2pm ET).
Which teams are in the 2024 Olympics football tournaments?
| Men's team | Confederation | Qualification route | Last Olympic appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | UEFA | Hosts | 2020 (Group stage) |
| United States | CONCACAF | 2022 CONCACAF U20 Championship | 2008 (Group stage) |
| Dominican Republic | CONCACAF | 2022 CONCACAF U20 Championship | Debut |
| Spain | UEFA | 2023 UEFA U21 Championship | 2020 (Silver medal) |
| Israel | UEFA | 2023 UEFA U21 Championship | 1976 (Quarter-finals) |
| Ukraine | UEFA | 2023 UEFA U21 Championship | Debut |
| Morocco | CAF | 2023 U23 Africa Cup of Nations | 2012 (Group stage) |
| Egypt | CAF | 2023 U23 Africa Cup of Nations | 2020 (Quarter-finals) |
| Mali | CAF | 2023 U23 Africa Cup of Nations | 2004 (Quarter-finals) |
| New Zealand | OFC | 2023 OFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament | 2020 (Quarter-finals) |
| Paraguay | CONMEBOL | 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament | 2004 (Silver medal) |
| Argentina | CONMEBOL | 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament | 2020 (Group stage) |
| Japan | AFC | 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup | 2020 (Fourth place) |
| Uzbekistan | AFC | 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup | Debut |
| Iraq | AFC | 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup | 2016 (Group stage) |
| Guinea | CAF | AFC–CAF play-off | Debut |
All 16 nations that will participate in the 2024 Olympic men's football tournament have been confirmed. Notably, reigning champions Brazil have not secured their place, while the Dominican Republic, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Guinea will all make tournament debuts in France.
| Women's team | Confederation | Qualification route | Last Olympic appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | UEFA | Hosts | 2016 (Quarter-finals) |
| United States | CONCACAF | 2022 CONCACAF W Championship | 2020 (Bronze medal) |
| Brazil | CONMEBOL | 2022 Copa America Femenina | 2020 (Quarter-finals) |
| Colombia | CONMEBOL | 2022 Copa America Femenina | 2016 (Group stage) |
| Canada | CONCACAF | CONCACAF play-off | 2020 (Gold medal) |
| New Zealand | OFC | 2024 OFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament | 2020 (Group stage) |
| Spain | UEFA | UEFA Women's Nations League finals | Debut |
| Australia | AFC | 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament | 2020 (Fourth place) |
| Japan | AFC | 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament | 2020 (Quarter-finals) |
| Germany | UEFA | UEFA Women's Nations League finals | 2016 (Gold medal) |
| Nigeria | CAF | 2024 CAF Women's Olympic qualifying tournament | 2008 (Group stage) |
| Zambia | CAF | 2024 CAF Women's Olympic qualifying tournament | 2020 (Group stage) |
All 12 spots at the Olympic women's football tournament have been secured, with reigning champions Canada giving themselves a chance at defending their gold medal after beating Jamaica in a play-off.
Olympic women's football tournament 2024 group stage draw
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
| France | United States | Spain |
| Canada | Germany | Japan |
| Colombia | Zambia | Nigeria |
| New Zealand | Australia | Brazil |
Olympics men's football tournament 2024 group stage draw
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | Argentina | Spain | Japan |
| New Zealand | Morocco | Egypt | Paraguay |
| United States | Iraq | Uzbekistan | Mali |
| Guinea | Ukraine | Dominican Republic | Israel |
When do the 2024 Olympics football tournaments start?
The men's tournament will be the first of the two Olympic football tournaments to start, with the first group stage matches taking place on Wednesday July 24. The women's tournament will begin the following day, on Thursday July 25.
The men's gold medal match will be played on Friday August 9 and the women's will follow on Saturday August 10. It will be the first time that the Olympic football tournaments conclude with the women's final.
When does the 2024 Olympics start?
Along with archery, handball and rugby sevens, football is one of the four sports which will see its competition at the 2024 Olympic Games commence before the opening ceremony actually takes place to mark the start of the event.
The 2024 opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday July 26, with the rest of the sports included in the Games to begin competition the following day.
Who won the last Olympics football tournaments?
The men's tournament was won by Brazil in 2021, with the South American nation defeating Spain 2-1 in extra time. That triumph meant Brazil defended their gold medal from 2016, when they won it on home soil in Rio de Janeiro. Meanwhile, Mexico claimed the bronze medal, beating Japan 3-1.
The women's tournament was won by Canada for the first time as they defeated Sweden on penalties. It was a second successive silver medal for the European nation while the United States narrowly beat Australia, 4-3, to win bronze. That was the sixth Olympic medal for the U.S. team, to go with four gold medals and a silver.