Olympics Tokyo 2020: All you need to know about the football game

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Games are ready with the new schedule in 2021 and football teams from different parts of the world are on the line to play their best in this foremost sporting event, however, without the presence of their spectators.

By: Harry Siuu

07/20/2021 22:26

What is the Olympics?

Olympic Games, or Olympics, are the most prestigious sporting events in the world. They feature the most athletes from more than 200 countries all over the world, participating in a variety of sports, such as baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf, shooting, weightlifting, and many other types.

The ancient Olympics were created such a long time ago, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. The inaugural modern games were founded in Athens in 1896. The governing body of these sporting events is the International Olympic Committee (abbreviated as IOC). During the 20th and 21st centuries, worldwide sports have witnessed numerous changes to the Olympics in different factors, typically the introductions of many other Olympic Games like Winter Olympic Games for snow and ice sports, Paralympic Games for disabled athletes, or the Youth Olympic Games for athletes from 14 to 18 years old.

One thing that has never changed over time is the symbol of five rings interlocking with each other (mainly featured with five different colors) that represent five continents of the world: Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. In the past, there were two Olympic Games in a year's calendar, which were Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics. However, since 1992, the Olympic Games have been held every two years, alternating between Winter and Summer Games.

Is Olympics Tokyo 2020 still happening?

The 2020 Olympics were scheduled to take place in 2020 in Tokyo. However, this is the first time this multi-sports event has been postponed, but not canceled. It was due to the strong impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the globe in 2020. The Games, as such, are still happening with its schedule moved to 2021. Its name retains the Tokyo 2020 Olympic because of branding and marketing reasons. It is going to be held from 23 July to 8 August 2021.

Will there be spectators at the Olympics 2020?

Unfortunately, there will be no public spectators permitted, especially overseas fans. The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics are supposed to be played behind closed doors with only necessary people. With the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world, audiences should watch this game through media platforms.

How does Olympic football work?

The schedule and participants

Football, as the king sport, is part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. All the Olympics football matches are scheduled to be held from 21 July to 7 August 2021 in seven stadiums across Japan, in six host cities: Kashima, Rifu, Saitama, Sapporo, Tokyo, and Yokohama.

Olympic football is welcomed for both men and women. There won’t be any restriction for women’s age, but all men footballers have to be under 24 years old, with a maximum of three players over 24 in each team. For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) technology will be used at the Summer Olympics.

Qualification

1. Men’s qualification

Means of qualification	Berth(s)	Qualified
Host nation	1	Japan
2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship	4	France, Germany, Romania, Spain
2019 OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament	1	New Zealand
2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations	3	Egypt, Ivory Coast, South Africa
2020 AFC U-23 Championship	3	Australia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea
2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament	2	Argentina, Brazil
2020 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship	2	Honduras, Mexico
Total	16

Men's teams in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic football

Men's teams in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic football

2. Women’s qualification

Means of qualification	Berth(s)	Qualified
Host nation	1	Japan
2018 Copa América	1	Brazil
2018 OFC Nations Cup	1	New Zealand
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup (as UEFA qualifying)	3	Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden
2020 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship	2	Canada, the United States
2020 CAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament	1	Zambia
2020 AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament	2	Australia, China PR
CAF–CONMEBOL play-off	1	Chile
Total	12

Competition format

1. Men's competition

The Olympic football competition for men’s teams includes two stages: the group phase and the knockout phase. In the group stage, 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four by a draw, as the table below:

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
Japan	New Zealand	Egypt	Brazil
South Africa	South Korea	Spain	Germany
Mexico	Honduras	Argentina	Ivory Coast
France	Romania	Australia	Saudi Arabia

Their starting points might be different based on confederation champions. The final points will decide the ranking of four teams in each group, and the top two will advance to the next stage called knockout. The winner of one group will be paired with the runner-up of the other group, and there will be four marches in the quarter-finals. By losing a match, teams will be automatically eliminated until we can decide the final champion.

2. Women’s competition

12 women’s teams will be seeded into three groups of four in the rule that no more than one team from the same confederation in one group.