Football was debuted as an
exhibition sport in
1900 and
1904, and it was the first team sport to be featured in the
Olympic Games. With the exception of the
1932 Los Angeles
Olympics, the sport has been held at every
Olympic
Games since
1908.
While professionals are permitted in the men's event, the regulations limit teams to players under the age of
23, with three exceptions. The women's competition has no age limitations.
Women's football made its debut at the Atlanta Games in
1996, with an eight-team competition. Since then, the event has grown in popularity, with
ten teams competing at the Athens Games and 12 teams competing
in Beijing. A total of 16 teams will compete in the men's event.
Football, often known as the
Olympic
Football Tournament, has been a men's competition sport at the
Summer Olympics since 1896, with the exception of the
inaugural Games in
1896 and
1932, when it was added to promote the new
FIFA World Cup tournament.
At the 1996 Atlanta Games, women's football was added to the official program.
In order to avoid clashing with the World Cup, FIFA has placed a number of limits on elite players' participation in the men's event.
The rule that men's tournament squads must consist of players under the age of 23 has three exceptions.