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The men's football tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics will feature three new teams, namely Ukraine, Israel, and Spain. The three nations secured their spots after reaching the semifinals of the Under-21 European Championship, which serves as the continental qualifier for the Olympics.
Ukraine defeated France 3-1 on Sunday in the last quarterfinal match, thanks to a brace from Georgiy Sudakov and a late goal from Artem Bondarenko. France, as the host nation, had already qualified for the Olympics, so Ukraine joined the other semifinalists in booking their tickets to Paris.
Israel and Spain had advanced to the last four on Saturday, after beating Georgia and Switzerland respectively. Meanwhile, Israel won on penalties after the game finished 0-0 while Spain won 2-1 with goals from Sergio Gomez and Juan Miranda.
England also made it to the semifinals, after edging out Portugal 1-0 on Sunday with a goal from Curtis Jones. However, England is ineligible to represent Britain at the Olympics, as the Olympic team also includes Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Therefore, England's win ensured that the other three semifinalists would qualify for the Olympics.
The men's soccer tournament at the Olympics is an Under-23 event, with three over-age players allowed in each squad. Some of the stars who could feature in Paris include Kylian Mbappé for France, Pedri for Spain, and Manor Solomon for Israel.
The 16-nation Olympic lineup in men's soccer already includes the United States and the Dominican Republic from North America, plus host France. The remaining spots will be decided by the qualifiers from other continents. Ukraine earned their first-ever Olympic football quota while Israel are set to make their first appearance in an Olympic football tournament in 48 years. The Tokyo 2020 silver medallists Spain will look to avenge their extra-time loss to Brazil and get the gold this time.
