Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics — association football played during the 2016 Olympic Summer Games
The 2016 Summer Olympics football tournament brought men's and women's association football to six Brazilian cities, using venues from the 2014 World Cup.
Key Facts
- Tournament dates
- 3–20 August 2016
- Host cities
- Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Salvador, São Paulo, Manaus
- Men's age restriction
- Under-23 (born on or after 1 January 1993)
- Overage players allowed (men)
- 3 players per squad
- Footballs used
- ~400 footballs
- Unique Olympic-only venue
- Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, Rio de Janeiro
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As part of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, FIFA-affiliated associations were invited to send national teams to compete. Men's squads were subject to under-23 eligibility rules with allowance for up to three overage players, while women's teams faced no age restrictions.
The association football tournament ran from 3 to 20 August 2016 across six Brazilian cities — Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Salvador, São Paulo, and Manaus — all of which had hosted matches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, with only the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange being exclusive to the Olympics.
The tournament made extensive use of existing World Cup infrastructure, demonstrating Brazil's capacity to host successive major football events within two years. Approximately 400 footballs were deployed across the six venues throughout the competition.