Football at the Summer Olympics 2021
The Olympic Games are taking place a year later than planned as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that shut the world down in 2020.
But the games in Tokyo are going ahead in the summer of 2021, albeit without international fans able to attend the various events. Football has become an increasingly prominent Olympic sport in recent years and this summer’s Games in Japan will only further that.
The women’s tournament will end with the gold medal match will be on 6 July and the men’s on 7 July. The Olympic closing ceremony then takes place the next day on 8 July.
While athletics, swimming, cycling and most other sports will be held at venues in and around the area of the Tokyo metropolis, the football tournament will take place in seven venues all over Japan.
In addition to Tokyo, games will be played in nearby Yokohama and Saitama, as well as Kashima, Sendai, Rifu and Sapporo. Four of the stadiums in use hosted games at the 2002 World Cup, including the Sapporo Dome were England beat Argentina in 2002.
Experience and youth characterise the New Zeeland men's and women's teams for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, confirmed today by New Zealand Football and the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
The Football Ferns will rely on a core of experience, as the quartet Abby Erceg, Ria Percival, Anna Green and Ali Riley will be playing at their fourth Olympic Games, while talent from the bronze medal winning U-17s is also starting to come through in the squad via striker Gabi Rennie (yet to be capped at senior level) and goalkeeper Anna Leat. The Football Ferns play in Group G, and will come up against Sweden, USA and Australia. Their campaign gets underway against Australia on Wednesday 21 July.
The men play in Group B, and will come up against Korea Republic, Honduras and Romania. Their campaign gets underway against Korea Republic on Thursday 22 July.
Marta and Formiga will lead Brazil's women's football team at the Tokyo Olympics in what is expected to be their international swansong. The 35-year old Marta has a silver medal from 2008, and 43-year-old Formiga has silver medals from 2004 and 2008. This will be Formiga's seventh Olympics. The Brazil team finished fourth in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The men’s competition will be fierce, with Spain, France and Germany all expected to have strong squads. Brazil are the reigning champions from 2016, while Argentina are the only country in the age-restricted era (since 1992) to have won two gold medals – 2004 and 2008.
Mexico won gold in 2012, while Japan will have home advantage – even more so with no foreign crowds, and South Korea have a reasonable record at recent Olympics.
On the women’s side, the United States always start as strong favourites. They have dominated the Olympics since football was introduced for female players in 1996, with a bad-tempered quarter-final exit to Sweden in 2016 coming as a complete shock. That is the only time they have failed to get a medal of any colour, while they have previously won four of all six tournaments to date.
Japan, Brazil, Sweden and Canada have all won medals at one of the last three tournaments and would all back themselves to do so again. First timers Netherlands have a strong pedigree as reigning European champions and 2019 World Cup finalists, while Great Britain will also be much more of a medal threat than their only previous appearance in 2012.