Football at the Summer Olympics

Lore & Background

Football was not included in the 1896 Games, as international football was in its infancy. Some sources claim an unofficial tournament was held, but this is disputed. Tournaments at 1900 and 1904 were contested by clubs and scratch teams; the IOC considers them official, but FIFA does not. The 1908 London Games featured the first proper international tournament, organized by the Football Association, with six teams. Early matches were unbalanced, with players like Sophus Nielsen and Gottfried Fuchs each scoring ten goals in a single match. All players were amateurs, and Great Britain won the first two official tournaments, beating Denmark both times.

Reader's Guide

Olympic football has evolved significantly. In the 1920s, Uruguay dominated, winning in 1924 and 1928, the latter considered football's first world championship. After the first World Cup, football was dropped from the 1932 Games to promote the new tournament. From 1948 to 1980, Soviet Bloc countries dominated due to state-sponsored amateurs. Professional players were admitted in 1984, but with restrictions to avoid rivaling the World Cup. Since 1992, men's squads must be under 23, with three over-23 exceptions. The women's tournament, added in 1996, is a full senior-level event, second only to the Women's World Cup. The men's tournament is not on the FIFA International Match Calendar, so clubs are not required to release players.

Did You Know?

• The men's tournament was not held in 1932 to promote the new FIFA World Cup.
• Women's football was added to the Olympic program at the Atlanta 1996 Games.
• Uruguay won the last two Olympic tournaments before the World Cup's creation, in 1924 and 1928.