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The men’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics kicks off in Paris on July 24 with 16 teams battling for gold medal glory.

Men’s football has been a feature of the Olympic Games since 1900 with FIFA’s six continental federations represented in the competition.

The 2024 edition will feature a major change, with 2016 and 2020 champions Brazil not involved, and hosts France tipped as one of the favourites to win a first gold in the men’s event since 1984.

Former Les Bleus superstar Thierry Henry takes charge of France’s Olympic side but he faces a battle to include Kylian Mbappe in his tournament squad.

MORE: Kylian Mbappe’s astonishing presentation to thousands of Real Madrid fans

Is Kylian Mbappe playing at the Olympics?

Mbappe was not included as part of the 18-player panel when Henry’s roster was announced in June.

The new Real Madrid signing previously hinted at his desire to play in the tournament after Euro 2024 duty, but he consistently stated the decision would be made by his club.

After it was announced in June that he would be signing for Madrid on a free transfer, Mbappe confirmed he would not be competing at the Games as he would instead be preparing for a preseason tour of the United States with his new team.

Kylian Mbappe of France at Euro 2024

“For the Olympics, my club has a position which is very clear, so that means I will not participate in the Olympics. That is how it is,” he stated ahead of captaining France at Euro 2024.

“Joining a new team in September would not be the best way to begin my adventure. I wish the best to the France team. I will of course watch all their games as a spectator rather than a player, and I hope they bring back the gold medal.”

How are Olympic squads selected?

Rules on how Olympic football squads are selected feature a crucial rule on overage players, with each qualified nation allowed to name three players aged over 23 in their squad.

That restriction does not apply to women’s squads for Olympic competition.

However, Henry and his fellow head coaches could face club-versus-country battles as football at the Olympics does not feature on the FIFA international match calendar and clubs are not required to release players if they do not wish to.

France’s Olympic squad

Henry utilised the overage rule to include former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette and Crystal Palace star Jean-Philippe Mateta in his squad.

Below is the full squad selected by Henry for France’s 2024 Olympics campaign:

Name Position Age Club
Guillaume Restes GK 19 Toulouse
Obed Nkambadio GK 21 Paris FC
Adrien Truffert DEF 22 Rennes
Kiliann Sildillia DEF 22 Freiburg
Bradley Locko DEF 22 Brest
Castello Lukebo DEF 21 RB Leipzig
Soungoutou Magassa DEF 20 AS Monaco
Loic Bade DEF 24 Sevilla
Desire Doue MID 19 Rennes
Manu Kone MID 23 Borussia Monchengladbach
Maghnes Akilouche MID 22 AS Monaco
Enzo Milot MID 21 Stuttgart
Joris Chotard MID 22 Montpellier
Rayan Cherki FWD 20 Lyon
Arnaud Kalimuendo FWD 22 Rennes
Jean-Philippe Mateta FWD 27 Crystal Palace
Alexandre Lacazette FWD 33 Lyon
Michael Olise FWD 22 Bayern Munich

*Players in BOLD are France’s overage picks

France’s Olympic record

France have featured regularly in the Olympic men’s football tournament but 1984 is their sole gold medal win under the leadership of veteran French coach Henri Michel.

Year Host France Result
1900 Paris, France Silver medal
1904 St. Louis, United States DNE
1908 London, United Kingdom Semifinal
1912 Stockholm, Sweden Withdrew
1920 Antwerp, Belgium Semifinal
1924 Paris, France Quarterfinal
1928 Amsterdam, Netherlands First Round
1936 Berlin, Germany DNE
1948 London, United Kingdom Quarterfinal
1952 Helsinki, Finland Preliminary Round
1956 Melbourne, Australia DNQ
1960 Rome, Italy First Round
1964 Tokyo, Japan DNQ
1968 Mexico City, Mexico Quarterfinal
1972 Munich, West Germany DNQ
1976 Montreal, Canada Quarterfinal
1980 Moscow, Soviet Union DNE
1984 Los Angeles, United States Gold medal
1988 Seoul, South Korea DNQ
1992 Barcelona, Spain DNQ
1996 Atlanta, United States Quarterfinal
2000 Sydney, Australia DNQ
2004 Athens, Greece DNQ
2008 Beijing, China DNQ
2012 London, United Kingdom DNQ
2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil DNQ
2020 Tokyo, Japan Group Stage

*DNE indicates Did Not Enter and DNQ indicates Did Not Qualify

Olympic football champions

Below is the complete list of Olympic medallists in the men’s soccer tournament.

Year Host Gold  Silver  Bronze 
1900 Paris, France Great Britain France Belgium
1904 St. Louis, United States Canada United States None awarded
1908 London, United Kingdom Great Britain Denmark Netherlands
1912 Stockholm, Sweden Great Britain Denmark Netherlands
1920 Antwerp, Belgium Belgium Spain Netherlands
1924 Paris, France Uruguay Switzerland Sweden
1928 Amsterdam, Netherlands Uruguay Argentina Italy
1936 Berlin, Germany Italy Austria Norway
1948 London, United Kingdom Sweden Yugoslavia Denmark
1952 Helsinki, Finland Hungary Yugoslavia Sweden
1956 Melbourne, Australia Soviet Union Yugoslavia Bulgaria
1960 Rome, Italy Soviet Union Yugoslavia Denmark
1964 Tokyo, Japan Hungary Czechoslovakia East Germany
1968 Mexico City, Mexico Hungary Bulgaria Japan
1972 Munich, West Germany Poland Hungary Soviet Union
1976 Montreal, Canada East Germany Poland Soviet Union
1980 Moscow, Soviet Union Czechoslovakia East Germany Soviet Union
1984 Los Angeles, United States France Brazil Yugoslavia
1988 Seoul, South Korea Soviet Union Brazil West Germany
1992 Barcelona, Spain Spain Poland Ghana
1996 Atlanta, United States Nigeria Argentina Brazil
2000 Sydney, Australia Cameroon Spain Chile
2004 Athens, Greece Argentina Paraguay Italy
2008 Beijing, China Argentina Nigeria Brazil
2012 London, United Kingdom Mexico Brazil South Korea
2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil Germany Nigeria
2020 Tokyo, Japan Brazil Spain Mexico
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