The men’s soccer tournament for the 2020 Olympics starts on July 22 in Tokyo and selects other host cities in Japan. 16 countries compete for gold, silver and bronze medals, with Spain, Germany, France and reigning champions Brazil among the favorites to finish top of the podium.
Men’s soccer at the Olympics is usually limited to an under-23 tournament with the exception of up to three “senior” players on each team.
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This means that at least 15 players in each 18-man group must be born on 1 January 23 years before the Olympics are to take place.
When these games were originally planned, the cut-off was for players on January 1, 1997. However, in the circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic that resulted in the launch from 2020 to 2021, it has been decided that the cut-off will remain the same.
The Tokyo Olympics have been postponed from 2020 / Yuichi Yamazaki / Getty Images
Once upon a time, therefore, this summer’s Olympic football tournament for men is technically a competition under 24, as many players who were eligible last summer but usually now would be too old would have been punished without their own fault and missed this rare opportunity.
Here is every confirmed group at the Olympics this summer …
* denotes age players born before 1 January 1997
35-year-old Andre-Pierre Gignac is one of France’s older players / Hector Vivas / Getty Images
Goalkeepers: Paul Bernardoni (Angers), Gautier Larsonneur (Brest)
Defender: Benoit Badiashile (Monaco), Anthony Caci (Starsbourg), Pierre Kalulu (AC Milan), Clement Michelin (Lens), William Saliba (Arsenal), Malang Sarr (Chelsea)
Midfielder: Eduardo Camavinga (Rennes), Maxence Caqueret (Lyon), Jonathan Ikone (Lille), Teji Savanier * (Montpellier), Florian Thauvin * (Tigres), Lucas Tousart (Hertha)
Forward: Andre-Pierre Gignac * (Tigres), Amine Gouiri (Nice), Randal Kolo Muani (Nantes) Amaud Nordin (Saint-Etienne)
Reserves: Maxence Prevot (GK, Sochaux)
Japan plays at home this summer / Koji Watanabe / Getty Images
Goalkeepers: Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Kosei Tani (Shonan Bellmare)
Defender: Hiroki Sakai * (Urawa Red Diamonds), Yuta Nakayama (PEC Zwolle), Ko Itakura (Groningen), Maya Yoshida * (Sampdoria), Reo Hatate (Kawasaki Frontale), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Bologna), Daiki Hashioka (Sint-Truiden)
Midfielder: Wataru Endo * (Stuttgart), Takefusa Kubo (Getafe), Koji Miyoshi (Royal Antwerp), Ritsu Doan (PSV Eindhoven), Kaoru Mitoma (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus), Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Dusseldorf)
Forward: Daizen Maeda (Yokohama F Marinos), Ayase Ueda (Kashima Antlers)
Reserves: Daichi Hayashi (FW, Sagan Tosu), Koki Machida (DF, Kashima Antlers), Ayumu Seko (DF, Cerezo Osaka), Zion Suzuki (GK, Urawa Red Diamonds)
Mexico has a good record recently in the Olympics / John Dorton / ISI Photos / Getty Images
Goalkeepers: Sebastian Jurado (Cruz Azul), Luis Malagon (Necaxa), Guillermo Ochoa * (America)
Defender: Erick Aguirre (Pachuca), Alberto Angulo (Atlas), Gerardo Arteaga (Genk), Cesar Montes (Monterrey), Jorge Sanchez (America), Johan Vasquez (Pumas)
Midfielder: Roberto Alvarado (Cruz Azul), Ricardo Angulo (Guadalajara), Uriel Antuna (Guadalajara), Fernando Beltran (Guadalajara), Sebastian Cordova (USA), Jose Joaquin Esquivel (Juarez), Diego Lainez (Real Betis), Carlos Rodriguez (Monterrey) , Luis Romo * (Cruz Azul)
Forward: Eduardo Aguirre (Santos Laguna), Henry Martin * (America), Jose Juan Macias (Guadalajara), Alexis Vega (Guadalajara)
South Africa has not yet appointed a group.
Honduras has not yet named a group.
Chris Wood has scored 24 leading international goals for New Zealand / Anthony Au-Yeung / Getty Images
Goalkeepers: Michael Would (Almere City), Jamie Searle (Swansea)
Defender: Michael Boxall * (Minnesota Utd), Liberato Cacace (Sint-Truiden), Callan Elliot (Xanthi), Dane Ingham (Perth Glory), Nando Pijnaker (Rio Ave), Winston Reid * (Brentford), George Stanger (Hamilton)
Midfielder: Joe Bell (Viking), Clayton Lewis (Wellington Phoenix), Marko Stamenic (Copenhagen), Gianni Stensness (Central Coast Mariners)
Forward: Joe Champness (Newcastle Jets), Elijah Just (Helsingor), Callum McCowatt (Helsingor), Ben Waine (Wellington Phoenix), Chris Wood * (Burnley)
Reserves: Alex Paulsen (GK, Wellington Phoenix), Sam Sutton (DF, Wellington Phoenix), Ben Old (MF, Wellington Phoenix), Matthew Garbett (FW, Falkenberg)
Romania has not yet appointed a group
South Korea has not yet appointed a group
Argentina has been very successful in Olympic football / Fran Santiago / Getty Images
Goalkeepers: Joaquin Blazquez (Talleres), Lautaro Morales (Lanus), Jeremias Ledesma * (Rosario Central)
Defender: Hernan de la Fuente (Velez Sarsfield), Marcelo Herrera (San Lorenzo), Nehuen Perez (Atletico Madrid), Leonel Mosevich (Argentinos Juniors), Facundo Medina (Lens), Nazareno Colombo (Estudiantes), Claudio Bravo (Portland Timbers)
Midfielder: Francisco Ortega (Velez Sarsfield), Nicolas Capaldo (Red Bull Salzburg), Fausto Vera (Argentinos Juniors), Santiago Colombatto (Leon), Tomas Belmonte (Lanus), Martin Payero (Banfield), Lucas Robertone (Almeria), Alexis Mac Allister ( Brighton), Ezequiel Barco (Atlanta Utd)
Forward: Carlos Valenzeula (Familicao), Pedro de la Vega (Lanus), Thiago Almada (Velez Sarsfield), Agustin Urzi (Banfield), Adolfo Gaich (Benevento), Ezequiel Ponce (Spartak Moscow), Lucas Alario * (Bayer Leverkusen)
Australia’s Daniel Arzani participated in the 2018 World Cup / Fran Santiago / Getty Images
Goalkeepers: Tom Glover (Melbourne City), Ashley Maynard-Brewer (Charlton)
Defender: Nathaniel Atkinson (Melbourne City), Thomas Deng (Urawa Red Diamonds), Joel King (Sydney FC), Kyle Rowles (Central Coast Mariners), Harry Souttar (Stoke), Ruon Tongyik * (Central Coast Mariners)
Midfielder: Keanu Baccus (Western Sydney Wanderers), Denis Genreau (Macarthur FC), Riley McGree (Birmingham), Connor Metcalfe (Melbourne City), Dylan Pierias (Western Utd), Caleb Watts (Southampton)
Forward: Daniel Arzani (AGF), Nicholas D’Agostino (Perth Glory), Mitchel Duke * (Western Sydney Wanderers), Reno Piscopo (Wellington Phoenix)
Reserves: Jordan Holmes (GK, Ebbsfleet), Cameron Devlin (MF, Wellington Phoenix), Ramy Najjarine (MF, Newcastle Jets), Lachlan Wales (Western Utd)
Egypt has not yet been designated a group.
Spain have named a final squad but have not yet confirmed which 18 of the 22 players will be in the main squad and which four will be on the reserve list.
Spain has named six players who are already in the country’s Euro 2020 group / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Alvaro Fernandez (Huesca), Alejandro Dominguez (Las Palmas), Jon Moncayola (Osasuna),
Defender: Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Oscar Mingueza (Barcelona), Oscar Gil (Espanyol), Juan Miranda (Real Betis), Marc Cucurella (Getafe), Jesus Vallejo (Granada), Pau Torres (Villarreal)
Midfielder: Pedri (Barcelona), Dani Ceballos * (Real Madrid), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Mikel Merino * (Real Sociedad), Carlos Soler (Valencia)
Forward: Javi Puado (Espanyol), Marco Asensio * (Real Madrid), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Bryan Gil (Sevilla)
Reigning champions Brazil did not appoint a reserve list beyond their final 18-player squad.
Dani Alves tries to win an Olympic medal in 38 / Lionel Ng / Getty Images
Goalkeepers: Brenno (Gremio), Santos * (Athletico Paranaense)
Defender: Nino (Fluminense), Gabriel (Arsenal), Guilherme Arana (Atletico Mineiro), Gabriel Menino (Palmeiras), Dani Alves * (Sao Paulo), Diego Carlos * (Sevilla)
Midfielder: Matheus Henrique (Gremio), Bruno Guimaraes (Lyon), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Gerson (Flamengo), Claudinho (Red Bull Bragantino)
Forward: Paulinho (Bayer Leverkusen), Matheus Cunha (Hertha), Antony (Ajax), Pedro (Flamengo), Malcom (Zenit St Petersburg)
Germany has not yet appointed a group
Côte d’Ivoire has not yet appointed a group
Saudi Arabia plays football at the Olympics for the first time since 1996 / Simon Holmes / Getty Images
Goalkeepers: Zaid Al-Bawardi (Al-Shabab), Mohammed Al-Rubaie (Al-Ahli), Amin Burkhari (Al-Ain)
Defender: Saud Abdulhamid (Al-Ittihad), Abdulelah Al-Amri (Al-Nassr), Khalifah Al-Dawsari (Al-Qadsiah), Khalid Al-Dubaysh (Al-Shabab), Yasser Al-Shahrani * (Al-Hilal), Hamad Al-Yami (Al-Qadsiah), Abdullah Hassoun (Al-Ahli), Abdulbasit Hindi (Al-Ahli)
Midfielder: Turkey Al-Ammar (Al-Shabab), Salem Al-Dawsari * (Al-Hilal), Salman Al-Faraj * (Al-Hilal), Khalid Al-Ghannam (Al-Nassr), Ali Al-Hassan (Al-Nassr) )), Ayman Al-Khulaif (Al-Wehda), Sami Al-Najei (Al-Nassr), Nasser Al-Omran (Al-Shabab), Mukhtar Ali (Al-Nassr), Abdulrahman Ghareeb (Al-Ahli), Ayman Yahya (Al-Nassr)
Forward: Abdullah Al-Hamdan (Al-Shabab), Abdulrahman Al-Yami (Al-Ittihad)
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