Football at the 2020 Summer Olympics — association football practiced at the 2020 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held across six Japanese cities in 2021, featuring men's under-24 and unrestricted women's competitions.
Key Facts
- Tournament dates
- 21 July – 7 August 2021
- Host country
- Japan
- Number of host cities
- 6
- Men's age restriction
- Under-24 (born on/after 1 Jan 1997)
- Max roster size (COVID rule)
- 22 athletes per team
- Men's defending champion
- Brazil
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. FIFA adjusted the men's age eligibility to maintain the original birth-year cutoff of 1 January 1997, effectively making it an under-24 tournament. Expanded squad sizes of up to 22 players were also permitted in response to the pandemic.
The football tournament was held from 21 July to 7 August 2021 across six Japanese cities: Tokyo, Kashima, Saitama, Sapporo, Rifu, and Yokohama. Two competitions were held — a men's under-24 event (with up to three overage players) and an unrestricted women's event. FIFA also sanctioned the use of the video assistant referee (VAR) system for the first time at the Olympics.
Brazil entered as men's defending champions, while Germany, the previous women's champions, failed to qualify after being eliminated by Sweden in the quarter-finals of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. The expanded rosters and VAR usage set precedents for how major football tournaments might adapt to logistical and technological developments.