Sixteen nations will be vying for Olympic soccer gold at the 2021 Tokyo Games. The usual European and South American heavyweights are positioned as pre-tournament favorites: Spain, France, Germany, Brazil and Argentina.
Each men’s national soccer team participating in the Olympics has a 22-man roster made up of players under the age of 24 (born on or after Jan. 1, 1997), except for three players who can be over 24. Only 18 players can dress on game day.
The Men’s Football Tournament kicks off with a round-robin group stage in which each team plays three matches against the others in the group (July 22, July 25 and July 28). Teams will collect three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. The top two finishers in each group advance to the quarterfinals, which will have predetermined pairings.
MORE: Complete day-by-day men’s Olympic soccer schedule
Olympic group tiebreakers
If teams are even on points, tiebreakers will be used one by one until all ties are broken. If there’s still a deadlock between two or more teams after the sixth tiebreaker, FIFA will draw lots (i.e., pull a name out of a hat). Here’s the order of tiebreakers as detailed in the official tournament rules:
- Superior goal difference in all group matches;
- Most goals scored in all group matches
- Most points obtained in group matches between the teams that are tied
- Superior goal difference in the group matches between the teams that are tied
- Most goals scored in all group matches between the teams that are tied
- Best conduct score based on yellow/red cards received in all group matches
- Drawing of lots by FIFA if there are still teams that remain tied
The group standings and schedules below will be updated as the tournament progresses:
Group A standings
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group A schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Thu, July 22 | Mexico vs. France | 4 a.m. | USA Network, Telemundo | fuboTV |
| Thu, July 22 | Japan vs. South Africa | 7 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
| Sun, July 25 | France vs. South Africa | 4 a.m. | N/A | |
| Sun, July 25 | Japan vs. Mexico | 7 a.m. | Telemundo, NBCSN (at 8:30 am) | fuboTV |
| Wed, July 28 | France vs. Japan | 7:30 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
| Wed, July 28 | South Africa vs. Mexico | 7:30 a.m. | Telemundo | fuboTV |
Group B standings
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Honduras | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Romania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group B schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Thu, July 22 | New Zealand vs. South Korea | 4 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
| Thu, July 22 | Honduras vs. Romania | 7 a.m. | Olympic Channel (in progress at 8:30 a.m.) | fuboTV |
| Sun, July 25 | New Zealand vs. Honduras | 4 a.m. | Universo | fuboTV |
| Sun, July 25 | Romania vs. South Korea | 7 a.m. | N/A | |
| Wed, July 28 | Romania vs. New Zealand | 4:30 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
| Wed, July 28 | South Korea vs. Honduras | 4:30 a.m. | Telemundo | fuboTV |
Group C standings
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Argentina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Australia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group C schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Thu, July 22 | Egypt vs. Spain | 3:30 a.m. | Olympic Channel, Universo | fuboTV |
| Thu, July 22 | Argentina vs. Australia | 6:30 a.m. | Olympic Channel, Universo | fuboTV |
| Sun, July 25 | Egypt vs. Argentina | 3:30 a.m. | Telemundo | fuboTV |
| Sun, July 25 | Australia vs. Spain | 6:30 a.m. | NBCSN, Universo | fuboTV |
| Wed, July 28 | Spain vs. Argentina | 7 a.m. | Universo | fuboTV |
| Wed, July 28 | Australia vs. Egypt | 7 a.m. | N/A |
Group D standings
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivory Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brazil | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Germany | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group D schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Thu, July 22 | Ivory Coast vs. Saudi Arabia | 4:30 a.m. | Olympic Channel (in progress at 5:30 a.m.) | fuboTV |
| Thu, July 22 | Brazil vs. Germany | 7:30 a.m. | USA Network, Telemundo | fuboTV |
| Sun, July 25 | Brazil vs. Ivory Coast | 4:30 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
| Sun, July 25 | Saudi Arabia vs. Germany | 7:30 a.m. | N/A | |
| Wed, July 28 | Saudi Arabia vs. Brazil | 4 a.m. | Universo | fuboTV |
| Wed, July 28 | Germany vs. Ivory Coast | 4 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Sat, July 31 | QF #1: C1 vs. D2 | 4 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
| Sat, July 31 | QF #2: A1 vs. B2 | 5 a.m. | USA Network (in progress at 5:30 a.m.) | fuboTV |
| Sat, July 31 | QF #3: D1 vs. C2 | 6 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Sat, July 31 | QF #4: B1 vs. A2 | 7 a.m. | USA Network | fuboTV |
Semifinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Tue, Aug. 3 | Semi #1: Winner QF #4 vs. Winner QF #3 | 4 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
| Tue, Aug. 3 | Semi #2: Winner QF #2 vs. Winner QF #1 | 7 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
Bronze-medal match
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Fri, Aug. 6 | Semifinal losers | 7 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
Gold-medal match
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Sat, Aug. 7 | Semifinal winners | 7:30 a.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |