Football at the 2024 Olympics: Teams, venues, groups, schedule and everything you need to know
![Thierry Henry](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.planetsport.com%2Fimage-library%2Fland%2F700%2F497498_thierry-henry-france-u21-head-coach-29-aug-2023.webp&w=3840&q=75)
The Olympic Games are upon us and the football tournament should certainly provide plenty of drama and excitement.
Hosts France have certainly gone big after selecting Thierry Henry as head coach and drafting Alexandre Lacazette in as captain.
However, there are a number of nations which will be looking to upset the apple cart as the battle for gold gets underway.
Here’s everything you need to know about the men’s football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Group A
France
Head coach: Thierry Henry
How they qualified: As hosts
Previous tournaments: 13 (Paris 1900, London 1908, Antwerp 1920, Paris 1924, Amsterdam 1928, London 1948, Helsinki 1952, Rome 1960, Mexico 1968, Montreal 1976, Los Angeles 1984, Atlanta 1996, Tokyo 2020)
Best result: Gold medal (Los Angeles 1984)
Squad: Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette is the captain and will be joined by Crystal Palace duo of Michael Olise and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
USA
Head coach: Marko Mitrovic
How they qualified: Won the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship
Previous tournaments: 14 (St. Louis 1904, Paris 1924, Amsterdam 1928, Berlin 1936, London 1948, Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956, Munich 1972, Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008)
Best result: Silver medal (St. Louis 1904)
Squad: Walker Zimmerman is the skipper of a squad which includes VfL Wolfsburg’s Kevin Paredes.
Guinea
Head coach: Kaba Diawara
How they qualified: AFC-CAF play-off winners
Previous tournaments: 1 (Mexico City 1968)
Best result: Group stage (Mexico City 1968)
Squad: Naby Keita captains his nation while ex-Barcelona man Ilaix Moriba also joins the squad.
New Zealand
Head coach: Darren Bazeley
How they qualified: Won the 2023 OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Previous tournaments: 3 (Beijing 2008, London 2012, Tokyo 2020)
Best result: Quarter-final (Tokyo 2020)
Squad: Michael Boxall is the skipper of a squad which includes Reading’s Tyler Bindon and Plymouth’s Ben Waine.
Group B
Argentina
Head coach: Javier Mascherano
How they qualified: Finished in second place at the CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament
Previous tournaments: 9 (Amsterdam 1928, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964, Seoul 1988, Atlanta 1996, Athen 2004, Beijing 2008, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020)
Best result: Gold medal (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008)
Squad: Some big names will feature for the Argentinian’s including Nicolas Otamendi and Julian Alvarez.
Morocco
Head coach: Tarik Sektioui
How they qualified: Won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
Previous tournaments: 7 (Tokyo 1964, Munich 1972, Los Angeles 1984, Barcelona 1992, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, London 2012)
Best result: Second round (Munich 1972)
Squad: Achraf Hakimi is the skipper and will lead a young Morocco side.
Ukraine
Head coach: Ruslan Rotan
How they qualified: Reached the semi-final of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Previous tournaments: 0
Best result: N/A
Squad: The Ukrainians have names a squad which is mostly made up of players who play domestically – bar captain Maksym Talovyerov (LASK) and Maksym Khlan (Lechia Gdansk).
Iraq
Head coach: Radhi Shenaishil Swadi
How they qualified: Third place at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2024
Previous tournaments: 5 (Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Athens 2004, Rio 2016)
Best result: Fourth (Athens 2004)
Squad: Saad Natiq will captain a side which also includes Eintracht Braunschweig forward Youssef Amyn.
Group C
Uzbekistan
Head coach: Timur Kapadze
How they qualified: Won the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2024/Reached the final of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2024
Previous tournaments: 0
Best result: N/A
Squad: Cagliari forward Eldor Shomurodov will captain the national side.
Spain
Head coach: Santi Denia
How they qualified: Reached the final of the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Previous tournaments: 11 (Antwerp 1920, Paris 1924, Amsterdam 1928, Mexico 1968, Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, London 2012, Tokyo 2020)
Best result: Gold medal (Barcelona 1992)
Squad: The Spaniards head into the Olympics with an exciting squad which includes Eric Garcia, Diego Lopez, Abel Ruiz and Man City forward Sergio Gomez.
Egypt
Head coach: Rogerio Micale
How they qualified: Reached the final of U-23 Africa Cup of Nations
Previous tournaments: 12 (Antwerp 1920, Paris 1924, Amsterdam 1928, Berlin 1936, London 1948, Helsinki 1952, Rome 1960, Toyko 1964, Los Angeles 1984, Barcelona 1992, London 2012, Tokyo 2020)
Best result: Quarter-final (Amsterdam 1928, Tokyo 1964)
Squad: Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny is the stand out name in the Egypt squad.
Dominican Republic
Head coach: Ibai Gomez
How they qualified: Reached the final of the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship
Previous tournaments: 0
Best result: None
Squad: Leeds United’s Junior Firpo will be hoping to make a big impact after being included in the squad.
Group D
Japan
Head coach: Go Oiwa
How they qualified: Won the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2024/Reached the final of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2024
Previous tournaments: 11 (Berlin 1936, Melbourne 1956, Tokyo 1964, Mexico City 1968, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020)
Best result: Bronze medal (Mexico City 1968)
Squad: Joel Chima Fujita captains a squad which is largely made up of players from the J1 League.
Paraguay
Head coach: Carlos Jara Saguier
How they qualified: Topped the final standings of the CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament
Previous tournaments: 2 (Barcelona 1992, Athens 2004)
Best result: Silver medal (Athens 2004)
Squad: Brighton’s Julio Enciso, Wolverhampton’s Enso Gonzalez and Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gomez has all been included.
Mali
Head coach: Alou Badra Diallo
How they qualified: Came third at the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations
Previous tournaments: 1 (Athens 2004)
Best result: Quarter-final (Athens 2004)
Squad: Wolves midfielder Boubacar Traore, Huddersfield Town’s Brahima Diarra and Schalke’s Ibrahima Cisse have all been selected.
Israel
Head coach: Guy Luzon
How they qualified: Reached the semi-finals of the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Previous tournaments: 2 (Mexico 1968, Montreal 1976)
Best result: Quarter-final (Mexico 1968, Montreal 1976)
Squad: Former Celtic man Liel Abada is part of the squad which is captained by Sean Goldberg.
Venues
Matches will be played across seven stadiums in seven cities around France. PSG’s Parc des Princes in the capital will host the gold medal match.
Stadiums in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne, Nice and Nantes will also be used.
Schedule
The tournament will begin on Wednesday, July 24 with France taking on the United States in Marseille. Group stage matches will continue until July 30.
Quarter-final games will take place on August 2, the semi-finals on August 5 and the final on August 9. The bronze medal clash will take place a day earlier on August 8.