Man Utd hero Ryan Giggs was Britain’s captain at London 2012 (Picture: Getty)
Great Britain once again does not have a Team GB football team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris – and fans want to know exactly why that’s the case.
There was a Team GB men’s football team at London 2012 featuring a number of English and Welsh stars including Micah Richards and Ryan Giggs – but there were no Scottish or Northern Irish stars in the squad – as they lost in the last eight.
It was the first time Britain had a men’s football team competing at the Olympics since 1960 and, interestingly, there hasn’t been once since in 2016, 2020 or 2024.
There was a Team GB women’s football team at Tokyo 2020 – who suffered defeat to Australia in the quarter-finals – but there won’t be one at Paris 2024 this year.
Read on to find out why there’s no British teams competing in the Olympic football competitions in both the men’s and women’s events…
Why does Team GB not have a men’s football team at the Olympics?
There is no Team GB team in the Olympic men’s football competition at the Paris Games.
Football has been contested at every Summer Olympics since 1900, bar the 1932 Games. Olympic football falls under the jurisdiction of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rather than FIFA, which governs both the World Cup and Euros.
In FIFA competitions such as the World Cup and European Football Championship, each nation in the United Kingdom has their own team – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
But the issue is that the IOC, unlike FIFA, classifies Britain as one entity – which saw Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland walk away in 1960 – amid fears their participation at the Olympics could threaten their status in FIFA-run competitions.
A one-off compromise was reached at the 2012 Olympics, given that it was being hosted in Great Britain, but even then it attracted plenty of controversy and backlash, particularly from Scotland, who see England as their main rivals.
There hasn’t been a Team GB men’s football team since – which is sad news for many – given how much the sport is loved and followed in Great Britain.
Why does Team GB not have a women’s football team at the Olympics?
There is also no Team GB team in the Olympic women’s football competition at the Paris Games.
Unlike the men’s team, Scottish players featured in the most recent squad, including Caroline Weir and Kim Little for the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
Team GB were hoping to have a women’s team for Paris 2024 but the country unfortunately failed to qualify.
The home nations – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – agreed that the highest-ranking country between the four would claim one of the three slots for European sides, should they qualify.
England, though, the best home nation finisher, were unable to qualify, with France, Spain and Germany taking those three spots.
Full men’s football schedule at Olympics 2024
Group stage
Wednesday, 24 July 2024
Group A: France v USA, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 8pm
Group A: Guinea v New Zealand, Stade de Nice, kick-off 4pm
Group B: Argentina v Morocco, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 2pm
Group B: Iraq v Ukraine, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 6pm
Group C: Uzbekistan v Spain, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 2pm
Group C: Egypt v Dominican Republic, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 4pm
Group D: Mali v Israel, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 8pm
Group D: Japan v Paraguay, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 6pm
Saturday July 27
Group A: France v Guinea, Stade de Nice, kick-off 8pm
Group A: New Zealand v USA, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm
Group B: Argentina v Iraq, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 2pm
Group B: Ukraine v Morocco, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 5pm
Group C: Uzbekistan v Egypt, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 4pm
Group C: Dominican Republic v Spain, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 3pm
Group D: Israel v Paraguay, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 6pm
Group D: Japan v Mali, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 8pm
Tuesday July 30
Group A: New Zealand v France, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm
Group A: USA v Guinea, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 6pm
Group B: Ukraine v Argentina, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 4pm
Group B: Morocco v Iraq, Stade de Nice, kick-off 4pm
Group C: Dominican Republic v Uzbekistan, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 2pm
Group C: Spain v Egypt, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 2pm
Group D: Israel v Japan, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 8pm
Group D: Paraguay v Mali, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 8pm
Quarter-finals
Friday August 2
Match 25: 1A v 2B, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 8pm
Match 26: 1B v 2A, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 2pm
Match 27: 1C v 2D, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm
Match 28: 1D v 2C, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 4pm
Semi-finals
Monday August 5
Match 29: Winner Match 25 v Winner Match 27, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 8pm
Match 30: Winner Match 26 v Winner Match 28, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 5pm
Bronze medal match
Thursday August 8
Match 31: Loser Match 29 v Loser Match 30, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 4pm
Gold medal match
Friday August 9
Match 32: Winner Match 29 v Winner Match 30, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 5pm
Full women’s football schedule at Olympics 2024
Group stage
Thursday July 25
Group A: France v Colombia, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 8pm
Group A: Canada v New Zealand, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 4pm
Group B: USA v Zambia, Stade de Nice, kick-off 8pm
Group B: Germany v Australia, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm
Group C: Spain v Japan, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 4pm
Group C: Nigeria v Brazil, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 6pm
Sunday July 28
Group A: France v Canada, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 8pm
Group A: New Zealand v Colombia, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 4pm
Group B: USA v Germany, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 8pm
Group B: Australia v Zambia, Stade de Nice, kick-off 6pm
Group C: Spain v Nigeria, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 6pm
Group C: Brazil v Japan, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 4pm
Wednesday July 31
Group A: New Zealand v France, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 8pm
Group A: Colombia v Canada, Stade de Nice, kick-off 8pm
Group B: Australia v USA, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm
Group B: Zambia v Germany, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 6pm
Group C: Brazil v Spain, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 4pm
Group C: Japan v Nigeria, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 4pm
Quarter-finals
Saturday August 3
Match 19: 1A v 3B/C, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 8pm
Match 20: 1B v 2C, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 2pm
Match 21: 1C v 3A/B, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 4pm
Match 22: 2A v 2B, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm
Semi-finals
Tuesday August 6
Match 23: Match 19 Winner v Match 21 Winner, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 8pm
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Match 24: Match 20 Winner v Match 22 Winner, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 5pm
Bronze medal match
Friday August 9
Match 25: Match 23 Loser v Match 24 Loser, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 2pm
Gold medal match
Saturday August 10
Match 26: Match 23 Winner v Match 24 Winner, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 4pm
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