Excitement Builds as Paris Olympics Football Tournament Kicks Off

The Paris 2024 Olympics is set to light up the football world, starting from July 24 through August 10, with matches lined up in seven exciting stadiums. Fans can look forward to action in Nice, Bordeaux, and Saint-Etienne during the group stages, while Lyon and Marseille will host the semi-finals.

Lovers of women’s football won’t miss out either as Lyon is set to host the bronze medal match for the women’s tournament. The thrilling finals will take place at the legendary Parc des Princes in Paris, which can hold 48,000 excited fans, with the men’s final on August 9 and the women’s final the following day.

France will begin their men’s campaign against the USA on July 24, just two days ahead of the grand Olympic opening ceremony. The women’s tournament will kick off on July 25, and the stakes are high, especially after Brazil clinched gold in the men’s category and Canada topped the women’s in Tokyo 2020.

The groups are stacked with talent. In Group A, there’s France, USA, Guinea, and New Zealand. Group B features Argentina, Morocco, Iraq, and Ukraine, while Group C includes Uzbekistan, Spain, Egypt, and the Dominican Republic. Finally, Group D brings Japan, Paraguay, Mali, and Israel into the mix.

The women’s tournament includes strong teams in Group A with France, Colombia, Canada, and New Zealand. Then Group B has USA, Zambia, Germany, and Australia, and Group C consists of Spain, Japan, Nigeria, and Brazil. Fans worldwide await to see which teams will rise to the top.

The rules remain the same as regular football, with two teams of 11 players facing off for 90 minutes. Group matches can end in a draw, but knockout stages will see teams going to extra time and penalties if they can’t find a winner in regular time.

With 16 men’s teams spread across four groups, the top two from each will march on to the quarter-finals. On the women’s side, 12 teams split into three groups will see the top two from each advance, along with the two best third-placed teams.

A highlight of the tournament’s excitement is the age rule: only three players in the men’s squad can be over 23 years old, while the women’s teams have no age restrictions. The USA stands out with its rich Olympic history, having won eight medals including four golds. Hungary follows closely with five medals, three of which are gold.