Men’s soccer at 2021 Olympics kicked off Thursday, a day before the Opening Ceremony in Toyko.
Mexico routed France, one of the pre-tournament favorites, in their opener 4-1. Tournament favorite Spain drew with Egypt, 0-0. Longshot Australia shocked Argentina, 2-0, while Brazil topped Germany 4-2.
Two teams each will advance from the four groups, unlike in the women’s Olympic tournament (12 total teams, eight advance) or Euro 2020 (24 teams, 16 advanced). No third-place teams will move on, so losing an opener puts you at a significant disadvantage.
Men’s soccer has a unique set of rules at the Olympics. Teams have to mostly use players 23 years old or younger, with three over-age exemptions allowed to be on the roster. That means we have very little data on anyone since these players and teams have never really played together.
The Olympics are also not a major competition for most nations, so they often don’t send their best players and clubs are not forced to release players to the national teams.
Still, many of the familiar nations will be atop the odds board — Spain, Brazil, France, Argentina and Germany are the favorites — all at +650 or better before play began on Thursday morning.
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Olympic Men’s Soccer Schedule & Results
All times ET.
Thursday
| Match | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Egypt 0, Spain 0 | 3:30 a.m. | Olympic Channel |
| Mexico 4, France 1 | 4 a.m. | USA |
| New Zealand 1, South Korea 0 | 4:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Ivory Coast 2, Saudi Arabia 1 | 4:30 a.m. | Olympic Channel |
| Australia 2, Argentina 0 | 6:30 a.m. | Olympic Channel |
| Romania 1, Honduras 0 | 7 a.m. | Olympic Channel |
| Japan 1, South Africa 0 | 7 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Brazil 4, Germany 2 | 7:30 a.m. | USA |
Sunday
| Match | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Egypt vs. Argentina | 3:30 a.m. | Telemundo |
| France vs. South Africa | 4 a.m. | N/A |
| New Zealand vs. Honduras | 4 a.m. | Universo |
| Brazil vs. Ivory Coast | 4:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Australia vs. Spain | 6:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Romania vs. South Korea | 7 a.m. | N/A |
| Japan vs. Mexico | 7 a.m. | NBCSN (at 8:30) |
| Saudi Arabia vs. Germany | 7:30 a.m. | N/A |
Wednesday, July 28
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia vs. Brazil | 4 a.m. | Universo |
| Germany vs. Ivory Coast | 4 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Romania vs. New Zealand | 4:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| South Korea vs. Honduras | 4:30 a.m. | Telemundo |
| Spain vs. Argentina | 7 a.m. | Universo |
| Australia vs. Egypt | 7 a.m. | N/A |
| France vs. Japan | 7:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| South Africa vs. Mexico | 7:30 a.m. | Telemundo |
Olympic Men’s Soccer Group Standings
The group setup for men’s Olympic soccer is pretty straightforward (unlike the women’s side or European Championship). It features four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
Group A
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| Mexico | 3 |
| Japan | 3 |
| South Africa | 0 |
| France | 0 |
The betting market thinks this group was pretty up for grabs, with France the slight favorite at -110, followed by Japan at 2-1 and Mexico at 4-1 odds.
Group B
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| New Zealand | 3 |
| Romania | 3 |
| Honduras | 0 |
| South Korea | 0 |
This is by far the weakest group of the four. South Korea is the only team under 66-1 to win the tournament. The Koreans are an even-money favorite to win the group, with the other three teams listed between 2-1 and 6-1 odds.
Group C
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| Australia | 3 |
| Egypt | 1 |
| Spain | 1 |
| Argentina | 0 |
Spain was a heavy favorite in this group at -162, and the favorite to win the tournament. Argentina has a shot at +225, with Egypt at 9-1.
Group D
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| Ivory Coast | 3 |
| Brazil | 3 |
| Germany | 0 |
| Saudi Arabia | 0 |
Is this the closest thing to a “Group of Death” in the men’s Olympic soccer tournament? Brazil and Germany are two of the tournament’s favorites, with the Ivory Coast as a popular dark horse.
Olympic Men’s Soccer Bracket
All times ET.
Quarterfinals: Saturday, July 31
Game 1: Group C winner vs. Group D runner up — 4 a.m.
Game 2: Group A winner vs. Group B runner up — 5 a.m.
Game 3: Group D winner vs. Group C runner up — 6 a.m.
Game 4: Group B winner vs. Group A runner up — 7 a.m.
Semifinals: Tuesday, Aug. 3
Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner — 4 a.m.
Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner — 7 a.m.
Medal matches
Aug. 6
Bronze medal match — 7 a.m.
Aug. 7
Gold medal match — 7:30 a.m.
Olympic Men’s Soccer Odds
The usual favorites are at the top of the board at DraftKings.
| Team | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | +250 | 0.2338 |
| Brazil | +300 | 0.2046 |
| France | +450 | 0.1488 |
| Germany | +650 | 0.1091 |
| Argentina | +650 | 0.1091 |
| Japan | +900 | 0.0818 |
| Mexico | +3300 | 0.0241 |
| Romania | +3300 | 0.0241 |
| South Korea | +3300 | 0.0241 |
| Ivory Coast | +5000 | 0.016 |
| Egypt | +6600 | 0.0122 |
| Australia | +20000 | 0.0041 |
| South Africa | +25000 | 0.0033 |
| Honduras | +50000 | 0.0016 |
| Saudi Arabia | +50000 | 0.0016 |
| New Zealand | +50000 | 0.0016 |
Roster Format
The Olympics are designed to not overshadow the World Cup, so they feature just 16 teams instead of the 32-team expanded field we see every four years in the World Cup.
The rosters are also limited to mostly players under 23 years old, with each team getting three overage exemptions. Domestic clubs are also not required to release players to their national teams for the Olympics, so you won’t see most of the big names in this tournament (even though all major European clubs are in their offseasons right now).
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