When is Olympic soccer tournament? Dates, kickoff times, schedule for Paris 2024 football games

Vishal Bhawani

When is Olympic soccer tournament? Dates, kickoff times, schedule for Paris 2024 football games image

The Olympic Games are always a special occasion, and football, or soccer as it's known in some parts of the world, is a major highlight.

Soccer was first included in the Olympics at the 1900 Paris Games and has been a regular feature since, except for the 1932 Los Angeles Games.

Women's soccer joined the Olympic program in 1996 at the Atlanta Games. The Paris 2024 Olympic soccer tournament promises to continue this rich tradition with exciting matches set to light up the stage in the coming days. 

For women's soccer, the USA has been very successful, winning gold at the Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012 Olympics. Germany took gold at Rio 2016, and Canada are the current champions after winning at Tokyo 2020.

In men's soccer, European teams dominated up to and including Spain's victory in 1992 in Barcelona. Since the 1996 Atlanta Games, African and Latin American teams have won every gold medal, with Brazil winning consecutively, including at Tokyo 2020.

MORE: Why is Christian Pulisic not in Olympics? FIFA rules eliminate many of biggest men's stars from Games

When is Paris 2024 Olympic soccer tournament?

The soccer tournament at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics takes place from July 24 to August 10, 2024. This period will see both the men's and women's tournaments being contested.

The draw for the matches was held in Paris on March 20, 2024. With teams from all over the world, the tournament is set to deliver top-tier football action over these two and a half weeks.

Where is Paris 2024 Olympic soccer tournament being played?

The matches will be spread across seven venues in different cities in France, ensuring a wide geographical coverage and allowing more fans to witness the action live.

In addition to the host city of Paris, these matches will bring Olympic excitement to Bordeaux, Decines-Charpieu near Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, and Saint-Etienne. This allows fans from different regions to experience the thrill of Olympic soccer firsthand.

Here are the details of the stadiums where the games will be held:

CityStadiumCapacity
MarseilleStade de Marseille67,394
Decines-Charpieu (Lyon area)Stade de Lyon59,186
ParisParc des Princes47,929
BordeauxStade de Bordeaux42,115
Saint-EtienneStade Geoffroy-Guichard41,965
NiceStade de Nice36,178
NantesStade de la Beaujoire35,322

MORE: USA men's Olympic soccer roster 2024

Paris 2024 Olympic soccer tournament: List of qualified teams

Qualified Teams for Men’s Soccer at Paris 2024

For the men's tournament, a total of 16 teams secured their spots through various qualification tournaments. This is an under-23 competition, but each team is allowed to include three players over the age of 23, adding a mix of experience to the youthful squads.

The U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) qualified for the first time since 2008. Hosts France and reigning World Cup champions Argentina are among the favorites, especially since two-time defending champions Brazil did not qualify.

Means of QualificationBerth(s)Qualified Teams
Host nation1France
2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship2United States, Dominican Republic
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship3Spain, Israel, Ukraine
2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations3Morocco, Egypt, Mali
2023 OFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament1New Zealand
2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament2Paraguay, Argentina
2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup3Japan, Uzbekistan, Iraq
AFC–CAF play-off1Guinea

Qualified Teams for Women's Soccer at Paris 2024

The US Women's National Team (USWNT), under the guidance of new head coach Emma Hayes, is one of the favorites to win gold. Although they haven't won an Olympic gold since 2012 in London, they are aiming for a comeback.

However, they face a tough group stage with strong teams like Germany, Australia, and Zambia. Host nation France is also expected to perform well, and other top contenders include Canada, Brazil, reigning World Cup champions Spain, and Japan.

Means of QualificationBerth(s)Qualified Teams
Host nation1France
2022 CONCACAF W Championship1United States
2022 Copa América Femenina2Brazil, Colombia
CONCACAF play-off1Canada
2024 OFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament1New Zealand
2024 UEFA Women's Nations League Finals2Spain, Germany
2024 AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament2Australia, Japan
2024 CAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament2Nigeria, Zambia

Paris 2024 Olympic soccer tournament schedule, kickoff times

The 2024 Paris Olympic soccer tournament is a mix of group stage and knockout clashes. For men, 16 teams aredivided into four equal groups with the top two qualifying for the quarterfinal round. Apart from the semifinal and final (Gold Medal Match), there will be a third-place match to decide the Bronze Medal.  

For women, 12 teams are divided into three equal groups with the top two and two best third-place teams qualifying for the quarterfinal round, which will be followed by semifinal and final and bronze-medal matches.

The Paris 2024 Olympic soccer tournament began with men's group-stage clashes on Wednesday, July 24 with Uzbekistan taking on European giants Spain. 

Meanwhile, for women, the tournament started on Thursday, July 25 with world champions Spain taking on Japan. 

Kickoff times listed below are in local time (CET). The UK (BST) is 1 hour behind Paris, the US/Canada (ET) 6 hours behind, India (IST) 3.5 hours ahead and Australia (AEDT) 8 hours ahead.

For example a 3 p.m. CET kickoff translates to 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6.30 p.m. IST / 11 p.m. AEDT.

Men's Paris 2024 Olympic Soccer Tournament Schedule

Group Stage

DateGroupMatchVenueTime (local)
July 24CUzbekistan 1-2 SpainParc des Princes3 p.m.
July 24BArgentina 1-2 MoroccoGeoffroy-Guichard Stadium3 p.m.
July 24CEgypt 0-0 Dominican RepublicLa Beaujoire Stadium5 p.m.
July 24AGuinea 1-2 New ZealandNice Stadium5 p.m.
July 24DJapan 5-0 ParaguayBordeaux Stadium7 p.m.
July 24BIraq 2-1 UkraineLyon Stadium7 p.m.
July 24DMali 1-1 IsraelParc des Princes9 p.m.
July 24AFrance 3-0 United StatesMarseille Stadium9 p.m.
July 27CDominican Republic 1-3 SpainBordeaux Stadium3 p.m.
July 27BArgentina 3-1 IraqLyon Stadium3 p.m.
July 27CUzbekistan 0-1 EgyptLa Beaujoire Stadium5 p.m.
July 27BUkraine 2-1 MoroccoGeoffroy-Guichard Stadium5 p.m.
July 27ANew Zealand 1-4 United StatesMarseille Stadium7 p.m.
July 27DIsrael 2-4 ParaguayParc des Princes7 p.m.
July 27DJapan 1-0 MaliBordeaux Stadium9 p.m.
July 27AFrance 1-0 GuineaNice Stadium9 p.m.
July 30CDominican Republic 1-1 UzbekistanParc des Princes3 p.m.
July 30CSpain 1-2 EgyptBordeaux Stadium3 p.m.
July 30BUkraine 0-2 ArgentinaLyon Stadium5 p.m.
July 30BMorocco 3-0 IraqNice Stadium5 p.m.
July 30AUnited States 3-0 GuineaGeoffroy-Guichard Stadium7 p.m.
July 30ANew Zealand 0-3 FranceMarseille Stadium7 p.m.
July 30DParaguay 1-0 MaliParc des Princes9 p.m.
July 30DIsrael 0-1 JapanLa Beaujoire Stadium9 p.m.

Quarterfinal

DateMatchVenueTime (local)
August 2Morocco 4-0 United StatesParc des Princes3 p.m.
August 2Japan 0-3 SpainLyon Stadium5 p.m.
August 2Egypt 1-1 (5-4) ParaguayMarseille Stadium7 p.m.
August 2France 1-0 ArgentinaBordeaux Stadium9 p.m.

Semifinal

DateMatchVenueTime (local)
August 5Spain vs. MoroccoMarseille Stadium6 p.m.
August 5France vs. EgyptLyon Stadium9 p.m.

Bronze Medal

DateMatchVenueTime (local)
August 8Bronze Medal MatchNantes5 p.m.

Gold Medal

DateMatchVenueTime (local)
August 9Gold Medal MatchParc des Princes6 p.m.

Women's Paris 2024 Olympic Soccer Tournament Schedule

Group Stage

DateGroupMatchVenueTime (local)
July 25CSpain 2-1 JapanLa Beaujoire Stadium5 p.m.
July 25ACanada 2-1 New ZealandGeoffroy-Guichard Stadium5 p.m.
July 25CNigeria 0-1 BrazilBordeaux Stadium7 p.m.
July 25BGermany 3-0 AustraliaMarseille Stadium7 p.m.
July 25AFrance 3-2 ColombiaLyon Stadium9 p.m.
July 25BUnited States 3-0 ZambiaNice Stadium9 p.m.
July 28CBrazil 1-2 JapanParc des Princes5 p.m.
July 28ANew Zealand 0-2 ColombiaLyon Stadium5 p.m.
July 28CSpain 1-0 NigeriaLa Beaujoire Stadium7 p.m.
July 28BAustralia 6-5. ZambiaNice Stadium7 p.m.
July 28AFrance 1-2 CanadaGeoffroy-Guichard Stadium9 p.m.
July 28BUnited States 4-1 GermanyMarseille Stadium9 p.m.
July 31CJapan vs. NigeriaLa Beaujoire Stadium5 p.m.
July 31CBrazil vs. SpainBordeaux Stadium5 p.m.
July 31BZambia vs. GermanyGeoffroy-Guichard Stadium7 p.m.
July 31BAustralia vs. United StatesMarseille Stadium7 p.m.
July 31ANew Zealand vs. FranceLyon Stadium9 p.m.
July 31AColombia vs. CanadaNice Stadium9 p.m.

Quarterfinal

DateMatchVenueTime (local)
August 3 Group B winner vs. Group C runner-upParc des Princes3 p.m.
August 3 Group C winner vs. 3rd place Group A/BLyon Stadium5 p.m.
August 3 Group A runner-up vs. Group B runner-upMarseille Stadium7 p.m.
August 3 Group A winner vs. 3rd place Group B/CLa Beaujoire Stadium9 p.m.

Semifinal

DateMatchVenueTime (local)
August 6Winner Quarterfinal 2 vs. Winner Quarterfinal 4Lyon Stadium6 p.m.
August 6Winner Quarterfinal 1 vs. Winner Quarterfinal 3Marseille Stadium9 p.m.

Bronze Medal

DateMatchVenueTime (local)
August 9Bronze Medal MatchLyon Stadium3 p.m.

Gold Medal

DateMatchVenueTime (local)
August 10Gold Medal MatchParc des Princes5 p.m.

Vishal Bhawani

Vishal Bhawani Photo

Vishal Bhawani is a content producer for The Sporting News.