The 2024 Summer Olympics are quickly approaching, with the football competition kicking off on July 24.
16 countries will compete for medals in the men’s football tournament and the potential presence of Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has been touted by Javier Mascherano, his former teammate at Barcelona who is in charge of the Albiceleste Under-23s.
The squads will be made up of players under the age of 23, with the exception of three senior stars called upon by each side to guide the locker room. Given the rules, we may just see Messi representing Argentina again after Copa America.
Only 12 of the 16 teams have qualified for the men’s football competition so far. France qualify as hosts, while Spain and the United States will also hope to challenge Argentina for gold. Three teams from Asia are still to be confirmed.
|
Confederation |
Nations |
|---|---|
|
Organizer |
France |
|
CONCACAF |
United States and Dominican Republic |
|
CAF |
Egypt, Mali and Morocco |
|
Oceania |
New Zealand |
|
UEFA |
Spain, Ukraine and Israel |
|
CONMEBOL |
Paraguay and Argentina |
|
AFC |
Three places and the possibility of fourth in a playoff |
Football at the Olympic Games will have 16 teams in the first phase. The teams will be divided into four groups of four; countries from the same continent cannot be drawn together.
The top two from each zone will advance to the knockout stages, starting with the quarterfinals. A third place play-off will take place fo the bronze medal and the final will determine the gold and silver winners.
The venues include Parc des Princes, Saint-Etienne, Nice, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and Nantes.
2024 Summer Olympics men’s tournament stadiums
|
Stadium |
City |
Capacity |
|---|---|---|
|
Stade de Marseille |
Marseille |
67,394 |
|
Stade de Lyon |
Lyon |
59,186 |
|
Parc des Princes |
Paris |
47,929 |
|
Stade de Bordeaux |
Bordeaux |
42,115 |
|
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard |
Saint-Etienne |
41,965 |
|
Stade de Nice |
Nice |
36,178 |
|
Stade de la Beaujoire |
Nantes |
35,322 |
Although the opening of the Olympics takes place on July 26, the men’s football kicks off two days before and concludes on August 9, a day before the women’s tournament final.
2024 Summer Olympics men’s tournament round dates
|
Round |
Dates |
|---|---|
|
Group stage |
July 24-30 |
|
Quarterfinals |
July 2 |
|
Semifinals |
July 5 |
|
Third place play-off |
July 8 |
|
Final |
July 9 |
Each national team squad can have three players over 23 years of age.
Messi is technically eligible to compete in the Olympic Games as one of the three senior players and his former teammate Mascherano has been vocal about including him in his squad if the chance arrives.
He…
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