Paris Olympics 2024: Women’s Football

The Olympics are finally here with the Women’s Football Tournament kicking off on Thursday 25 July.

Attention will be on the USA as Emma Hayes takes charge of her first major tournament. Although US fans’ expectations are always high, Hayes has been managing that since her arrival, focussing her messaging on rebuilding the team for the long-term over short-term results.

How does the tournament work?
12 women’s teams are split across three groups. The first and second-place teams in each group and the two best third-place teams overall, progress into the quarter-finals.

The groups:
Group A: France, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand
Group B: USA, Zambia, Germany, Australia
Group C: Spain, Japan, Nigeria, Brazil

Who is the current title holder?
Canada won the 2020 Olympic final, beating Sweden 3-2 on penalties after the match ended 1-1. They’re a respected tournament team, and despite having a poor World Cup last year, it’s expected they should have a decent Olympics. 

1996: United States
2000: Norway
2004: United States
2008: United States
2012: United States
2016: Germany
2020: Canada

Did you know?: a record 56 NWSL players will compete in this Olympics

How to watch:
Discovery+ is the main rights holder in Europe and will show all the action across its Eurosport and Olympic ‘pop-up’ channels. It has a special Olympic offer for £3.99 per month. TNT customers can access coverage via the Discovery+ platform. BBC iPlayer and the BBC website will broadcast limited coverage and air their roundup, Tonight at the Games every evening.

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