What soccer teams play in the Olympics?

The Olympics is slated to start later this week after years of strenuous planning and anticipation. The Seine River is barely clean enough for open-water swimming, the American men’s basketball team is ready for one of its most important tournaments yet, and sprinter Noah Lyles has his eyes set on a once-immortal 200-meter world record.

With all these important storylines swirling around with the opening ceremony scheduled for the 26th, the Olympics’ soccer tournaments figure to be a focal part of the Olympics. The tournament has produced special moments. For example, Neymar won gold at Rio 2016, Carli Lloyd scored in extra-time to beat Brazil in Beijing 2008, and more moments transpired throughout the years. 2024, held in front of millions of soccer-rabid Parisian fans, figures to add to the legacy of the Olympics.

Teams competing in soccer for the 2024 Olympics

The Olympics will boast a stacked field on both the women’s and men’s sides. The women’s teams will be able to call up their best players from across the globe. Squads in the men’s tournaments will be restricted to players under 23 years old, with three overage exceptions.

The men’s tournament will feature hosts France along with the United States, Guinea, and New Zealand in Group A. Argentina, Morocco, Iraq, and Ukraine will play in Group B. Spain and Egypt headline Group C, accompanied by the Dominican Republic and an Eldor Shomurodov-led Uzbekistan squad. Mali, Japan, Israel, and Paraguay round out Group D.

On the women’s side, France will go up against the likes of Colombia, Canada, and New Zealand in Group A. The United States will begin its revenge tour in Group B against rivals Germany, Austria, and surprise package Zambia. Spain, Nigeria, Brazil, and Japan slot into the Group of Death.

The format for the Olympics

The men’s tournament at the Olympics will feature 16 teams in four different groups. The teams play three matches against each other. Then, the top two from each group progress to the knockout rounds. The group stage matches will start on the 24th, with Argentina facing Morocco and Uzbekistan playing Spain at 9 a.m.

After the eight teams progress through the knockout round, the finals will be held at Paris Saint-Germain‘s stadium, Parc des Princes. The gold medal match will be the last of 32 games starting on Aug. 9. Reigning 2020 gold medalists Brazil will not feature in the tournament after failing to qualify. City striker Julian Alvarez, Bayern winger Michael Olise, and Arsenal target Désiré Doué will all play at the tournament.

The women’s football tournament features 12 teams from across the globe. France, Spain, and the USA highlight the tightly packed field. The teams will play in three groups of four. The top two teams from the three groups, plus the top two third-placed teams, advance to the eight-team knockout round. Group-stage matches will start on the 25th, with Canada playing New Zealand and reigning World Cup winners Spain playing Japan.

The Parc des Princes will hold the gold-medal matches on Aug. 10. A new-look American team led by manager Emma Hayes will search for its first gold medal since 2012.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.