The 2021 Olympics men’s and women’s tournaments, which play second fiddle to the World Cup, are worth your time and will feature some of the planet’s best players.
Soccer is the world’s most popular sport so it is only natural that they would feature at the Summer Olympics. The men’s tournament is limited to players under the age of 24 with only three overage stars, while women’s teams are allowed to field their full-strength rosters.
The Olympic soccer tournament will be played in Tokyo, but will also be spread out across Japan in the cities of Kashima, Saitama, Sapporo, Sendai and Yokohama.
The tournament will start on July 21 and culminate with the gold medal matches on Aug. 6 in Tokyo for the women and the following day for the men in Yokohama.
2021 Olympics: Soccer athletes and teams to know
Brazil are the men’s defending champions. Germany are the women’s defending champions but failed to qualify after losing to Sweden in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
The 16 men’s teams are limited to players under the age of 24 for this tournament (normally 23 since the 1992 Barcelona Games, but a year was added on after the Olympics were postponed last year because of the pandemic.
Brazil, who hosted the Olympics in 2016, won their first gold medal in history. The team, featuring Neymar, used the home support to their advantage and avenge their dismal showing at home just two years earlier at the World Cup.
The Brazilians are back and again among the favorites. The other teams to watch for are home side Japan in Group A and Spain in Group C. The tournament’s “Group of Death” is Group A. Aside from the host nation, the group features Mexico and France, two teams that can contend for gold.
The U.S. men’s side did not qualify after losing to Honduras. The men last played at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
The 12-team women’s tournament is headlined by defending World Cup champion United States. The team features 17 players who were on the World Cup roster. Eleven players on the team were on the squad at the 2016 Rio Games.
Two players, strikers Carli Lloyd and Tobin Heath, will play at their fourth Olympic tournament as the U.S. hopes to win a fifth gold medal, the last coming in 2012 in London. The Americans are in Group G with Sweden, Australia and New Zealand. The USWNT are led by Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan.
The other teams favored for a spot on the podium are Canada, who are in Group E, Brazil, who are in Group F and Sweden. Great Britain, who are in Group E and compete under one flag, are also looking for a medal. At FIFA events, Great Britain doesn’t field a team. Rather, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales compete as separate nations.
For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) system will be used by referees, an innovation first used at a major competition at the 2018 World Cup.
2021 Olympics: Why you should watch soccer
It’s been a summer loaded with international competitions. Euro 2020, Copa America and the Gold Cup (three tournaments delayed because of the pandemic) have taken over the TV sets of soccer fans for much of June and July. The Olympic soccer tournament, however, deserves your time for a number of reasons.
On the men’s side, you just never know which overage players could be called up to help the youngsters win gold. Neymar was the headliner in 2016, although it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be back after playing at the Copa America.
The tournament will also feature some potential future stars, including Mexico midfielder Uriel Antuna, who plays for Chivas Guadalajara and Spanish attacking midfielder Dani Olmo, who features for German side RB Leipzig.
On the women’s side, the United States has a serious shot at gold. The team has dominated the game since the 1990s and won the first-ever Olympic women’s gold medal in 1996 with the legendary Mia Hamm.
2021 Olympics: Soccer rivalries to watch
There are rivalries galore at these Summer Games. Group C’s Spain versus Argentina match will be key for who advances to the knockout round. In Group D, Brazil’s game against Germany pits two of the world’s most successful soccer nations. It is also a rematch of the 2016 gold medal match Brazil won in a dramatic penalty-kick shootout.
Over in the women’s tournament, Group E’s Canada versus Great Britain game is one to watch, while the U.S.’s game against Sweden could be decisive for which team wins Group G.
“We have a very experienced roster that has been through adversity at the highest levels, so it’s no surprise those players have distinguished themselves,” said U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski. “They’ve embraced the challenges and have shown tremendous flexibility and determination over the past 15 months to get us to where we are today.”