Are you already mourning the end of the European Championship and Copa America? Fear not. Ten days after the finals of both of those tournaments, the feast of international soccer continues at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

The men’s competition will kick off on Wednesday, July 24th, which, due to the number of matches required, is actually two days before the opening ceremony. The action runs all the way through to August 9th, when the final takes place in Paris.

Sixteen teams will battle for the gold, silver and bronze medals, split initially into four groups of four teams, with the top two in each group advancing to the quarterfinals. Group games can end in a tie (3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 for a loss), but the quarterfinals mark the beginning of the knockout stage, where in the event of a tie, a 30-minute extra time period is played, followed by a penalty shootout if necessary.

This is fundamentally an under-23 tournament, but each nation can pick three overage players classified as “wildcard” picks, which is where it can get very interesting. Some of the best in the business have been featured over the years. Neymar starred for Brazil in 2016 and Lionel Messi won gold with Argentina in 2008, although he won’t feature here.

Brazil have won Gold at the last two Olympics, but they will not get the chance to become the first nation to complete a hat trick of wins as they failed to qualify for the tournament. Under-21 European Championship winners England will also not be participating despite that competition being how the three UEFA (European) qualifiers were decided. The reason being there is a fear amongst the nations of Great Britain that if they amalgamate for the Olympics, they could lose their independence for future World Cups and Euros.

Hosts France are joined by fellow European nations Israel, Spain, and Ukraine, alongside Iraq, Japan, and Uzbekistan from Asia. Egypt, Mali, and Morocco represent Africa, plus South American pair Argentina and Paraguay. Rank outsiders New Zealand are the sole representative from Oceania, while the USA are joined by the Dominican Republic from CONCACAF. Guinea, who won the AFC-CAF playoff, claimed the final spot.

France +225

The French have a legend of the game in charge, World Cup winner Thierry Henry, who has already made his intentions clear. “I am looking at the gold medal,” he said, “If you don’t come for the gold, there is no point coming.”

Kylian Mbappé had expressed an interest in competing but didn’t make the final cut. However, the 18-man squad is littered with top players from the elite European leagues. Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette will captain the side, with Premier League Crystal Palace’s Player of the Year Jean-Philippe Mateta another wildcard selection. Former teammate Michael Olise, who this month joined German giants Bayern Munich for more than $60 million, is another eye-catching inclusion.

As hosts, France didn’t have to qualify but were losing quarterfinalists at the Under-21 European Championship last year. With the extra firepower of Lacazette and Mateta (scorers of 35 top-flight goals last season) alongside a head coach who has managed in Ligue 1 and MLS, as well as assisting Roberto Martinez with Belgium, it is clear why “Les Bleuets” are much fancied.

Argentina +275

The second favorites have a two-time Olympic gold medal winner in charge as they look to further stamp their credentials as the best soccer nation in the men’s game. Former Liverpool and Barcelona star Javier Mascherano played on the squads that won in 2004 and 2008 and has been an integral part of the coaching setup since hanging his boots up in 2020.

He guided his side to a win over Brazil in the pre-Olympic tournament to secure their place at Paris 2024. Having assembled a squad that generally plays in their native country, Mascherano has used his wildcards to add World Cup winners Nicolas Otamendi, Julian Alvarez, and Geronimo Rulli, despite the last two players mentioned having also been part of the Argentinian Copa America squad.

Spain +300

Sixteen-year-old Lamine Yamal made all the headlines at the European Championship with his wonder goal, helping his nation to the final and making him the favorite to be named the Player of the Tournament. However, despite being eligible to compete in Paris, the Barcelona wonderkid will not be showcasing his incredible talent. Although much to his club’s disappointment, teammate Fermín López is in the final 18. The 21-year-old caught the eye with a stunning goal and assist in a pre-season 3-0 defeat of Real Madrid last term, so he is one to look out for here.

The Spanish won silver at the last Olympics, where current head coach Santi Denia was assistant to Luis de la Fuente who now leads the full men’s side. He will be desperate to go one better here having also lost out to England in the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final.

It’s a tough call between the top three, and like the traders, I genuinely can’t see anyone outside of these going on to win gold. Ultimately, the firepower of the French swings it for me, added to the fact that they will be playing on home soil and their key players haven’t had the extra exertion of another major tournament before heading here.

Paraguay +2500

Having missed the last three editions of the World Cup, Paraguay have become something of a forgotten soccer nation. So, their qualification for the Olympic Games is certainly a big step in the right direction.

Carlos Jara Saguier’s side have earned their tag as potential dark horses having won the CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament. An unbeaten campaign saw them finish ahead of Argentina, who they drew with twice and Brazil, who they beat 1-0.

Expect the Paraguayans to play a simple and fairly direct brand of soccer as they look to qualify from a group containing Japan, Mali and Israel. Their progress will largely depend on the form (and goals) of Inter Miami’s Diego Gómez, who has been linked with a move to West Ham in the Premier League.

Japan +3300

Japan suffered heartbreak on their turf at the last Olympic Games when they lost the third-place play-off 3-1 to Mexico. It would have been their first medal since 1968, and if they are to right that wrong in Paris, it will be achieved with a squad that doesn’t include any overage players.

Key men Yuito Suzuki of Bröndby and Sint-Truidense’s Zion Suzuki have not been released by their clubs who deem them too important. The same goes for the “Japanese Messi,” Takefusa Kubo, once of Real Madrid but now firmly established at Real Sociedad and with 35 full internationals under his belt.

Instead of recruiting full international wildcards like Wataru Endō, head coach Go Oiwa has shown full faith in his young players. He has named 16 players who were in the squad that won the Under-23 Asian Cup in May, including tournament MVP Joel Chima Fujita.

The United States Men will play their first soccer match at the Olympics in 16 years when they face host France in their group opener on Wednesday night.

The USA come into the tournament — which features U-23 rosters with up to three overage players for each squad — having qualified by winning the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 tournament.

Meanwhile, France reached the event as the host nation after qualifying for the 2020 event but failing to advance from their group.

Guinea and New Zealand are the other Group A teams, with the top two finishers from a three-match round robin advancing to the quarterfinals.

The U.S. has elected to use two of its three overage selections in central defense, with Atlanta United’s Miles Robinson and Nashville SC’s Walker Zimmerman set to be the leaders and most familiar faces on the 18-man roster.

Otherwise, this is decidedly a group constructed more with a focus of creating depth for the senior national team than fielding the best squad possible.

That’s part of why none of the seven players on the USMNT’s Copa America squad with Olympic eligibility are participating.

Among those to watch?

Orlando City striker Duncan Maguire has continued to be productive in his second MLS season and is likely moving on to Europe sooner than later.

Venezia attacker Tanner Tessman is widely reported to be the target of several higher tier European clubs this summer after helping his current club gain promotion back to Italy’s Serie A.

The biggest name in France's contingent is its coach, the legendary longtime Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.

And perhaps owing to Henry's views on the sport, the French have elected to use two of their three overage call-ups at forward, with the 33-year old Alexandre Lacazette and 27-year old Jean-Philippe Mateta wearing the side’s No. 10 and No. 11 jerseys, respectively.

The latter may be one of the most in-form players in the tournament, having scored nine of his 16 league goals for Crystal Palace over his last six appearances of the season.

He will also get the chance to revive a partnership with 22-year old Michael Olise, whom Bayern Munich have already signed away from Palace this summer.

But as good as France have been in international football over the last three decades, they also have not earned much experience on the Olympic stage. The 2020 tournament was only Les Bleus’ second appearance since the tournament adopted its current age-limit format: They reached the quarterfinals in Atlanta in 1996.

Predicting and handicapping Olympic soccer on the men’s side is extremely difficult because there is no reliable track record. All the rosters are somewhat improvised, and it’s never entirely clear which federations are taking the tournament seriously.

That said, there is one interesting pattern that applies here: No host nation has won its opening match since the tournament adopted its current format in 1996. Host sides have also drawn the last four openers, including Great Britain in 2012 and eventual winners Brazil in 2016.

Perhaps the pressure of hosting looms large early on with teams that have little experience with tournaments of this magnitude. Or perhaps it's also a function of the schedule, with host teams often playing their most difficult group opponents first. Either way, it's a pronounced enough pattern to take note of.

And if the U.S. can find a way to earn a point, it is much more likely to do so in a lower scoring contest. It's France who have the better attacking weapons.

And thanks again looking forward to this! So far 3 goals in both games already. I was looking for the unders to show up heavy again in this tournament.

Wow Argentina got 16 extra minutes to tie it up. Nothing to see here folks the Olympics are pure as the driven snow...

The United States Women's National Team will look to avenge their poor World Cup showing from a year ago when they begin their Olympic campaign against Zambia on Thursday in group play.

The U.S. were eliminated in the World Cup Round of 16 last year, their worst-ever finish in the event. That set off a generational transition with the hire of new manager Emma Hayes and several major veterans exiting international play.

In Zambia, the U.S. face one of the world’s most improved programs. Zambia finished an all-time best third at the African Cup of Nations in 2022 and took three points its their first World Cup appearance in 2023.

In hiring Hayes, the USWNT brought in one of the world’s most sought after head coaches and the architect of a Chelsea women’s side that has become the perennial rulers of the English game.

But part of her agreement to take charge of the U.S. was that she wouldn't arrive until the conclusion of Chelsea’s domestic campaign, meaning her first true game on the touchline came last month. While it’s dangerous to take much from friendlies, the U.S. haven't conceded a goal since Hayes’ arrival.

Several major personalities have departed since 2023 — most notably Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe — but this is still a side with plenty of talent.

Rose Lavelle is in the middle of the most productive season of her NWSL career after spending 2023 limited by injuries.

Sophia Smith is third in the league in goals and second in assists, and captain Lindsey Horan has won four consecutive league titles between her final season in Portland and three years at Olympique Lyon in France.

In striker Barbra Banda, Zambia has a living legend who is still only entering her prime.

The 24-year-old is already the all-time leading scorer in African Olympic history after completing hat tricks in two of her nation’s group games in the 2020 Olympic tournament. And she’s had the same success in her first NWSL season with the Orlando Pride as she's tied for the league lead with 12 goals in only 12 regular season appearances.

She leads a Copper Queens side that's one of the youngest at the Olympics as they have more players in their teens (two) than in their 30s (one).

However, they are battle tested after a dramatic African qualifying tournament and advanced through two aggregate-goals series by a single goal.

Now comes the task of improving upon their previous global tournament appearances. They took one point from their Olympic debut in 2021 (the 2020 games, delayed by a year), and then three from last year’s World Cup.

Zambia’s history on the world stage is short, but there has been one clear trend: Lots of goals.

Of the Copper Queens’ six group games between their previous Olympic and World Cup appearances, five have seen at least four goals scored. And while Banda and company have real offensive quality, their defense just hasn’t held up at this level, conceding at least four goals in four of those matches.

But this American team — by Hayes’ own admission — is a work in progress and hasn't really shown a penchant for pouring it on the way some previous generations have.

The United States men's Olympic soccer team looks to get its tournament on track when it faces New Zealand in both teams' second group game on Saturday.

The USA conceded all the goals of its 3-0 loss to France after the 60th minute on Wednesday, sabotaging what was a promising performance for the first hour in their first match at the Olympics since 2008.

New Zealand earned a 2-1 victory over Guinea despite missing an early penalty, with Matthew Garbett avenging his own miss in the 25th minute and Ben Waine scoring a 75th-minute winner.

The Americans would be eliminated from contention for the knockout phase if they lose and France defeats Guinea in the other Matchday 2 contest in Group A.

The U.S. was on the defensive for most of its opening contest, but looked relatively in control against the favored France until going behind.

On Alexandre Lacazette's first, goalkeeper Patrick Schulte reacted late on what looked to be a saveable shot attempt. On Loic Bade's third, the center defender was completely unmarked for simple set-piece header.

The Irony for the Americans is their best chances came right as they were losing a grip on the game. Djordje Mihailovic struck the crossbar with his effort from distance when it was still 0-0, Paxten Aaronson's header forced a reaction save from close range shortly after Lacazette's strike, and John Tolkin also struck the post before Michael Olise made it 2-0 to France.

Griffin Yow had an apparent late consolation goal for the U.S. wiped out for being offside.

While New Zealand's men's program has appeared in only World Cup, the Olympics are more familiar territory for the All-Whites after reaching three of the last four men's tournaments.

They've now earned wins in their opening matches in back-back tournaments following their triumph over Guinea on Wednesday. And there's some familiarity within the squad from the club level, where five members of the roster play together for the Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand's lone club in Australia's A League.

Goalkeeper Alex Paulsen showed why he's one of the nation's top prospects, making eight stops against Guinea. He recently made the move from Wellington to Bournemouth of the English Premier League.

But his involvement also perhaps showed a vulnerability, with New Zealand out shot 17-9 overall and 8-5 in terms of efforts on target against the African foes.

The Americans were far better than the final score showed in their opening defeat to France, and New Zealand was flattered by its 2-1 win over Guinea. Unfortunately, oddsmakers' are wise to that and have installed the Americans as a significant favorite here.

And I do believe there is something to be said for New Zealand's experience on this stage to make up for a gap in roster quality, even though most of the players are new because the men's tournament is mostly a U-23 affair.

Odds to win Women's Olympic Soccer at BetMGM

Spain +175
USA +200
France +450
Germany +900
Brazil +1600
Japan +1800
Australia +2200
Canada +2500

USA-Germany Olympic betting at BetMGM

USA open +130, now +125
▪️ 79% of bets, 81% of money on 🇺🇸

Tie open +225, no movement
▪️ 10% of bets, 7% of money on Tie

Germany open +185, no movement
▪️ 11% of bets, 12% of money on Germany

The top spot in Group B is on the line when the U.S. women's national team squares off against Germany on match day 2 of the Olympic women's soccer tournament.

Both teams were 3-0 victors in their opening matches. The heavily favored Americans erupted early and then let their foot off the gas in their victory over 10-woman Zambia. The Germans relied on a pair of set piece goals to construct a statement-making triumph over Australia.

These teams are quite familiar with each other in recent years, though you have to go back to 2015 for their last meeting in a competitive fixture, a 2-0 U.S. win in a World Cup semifinal.

With the Americans storming to an early 3-0 lead and Zambia's numbers reduced in the 34th minute, it looked like things could get very lopsided in manager Emma Hayes' first competitive fixture in charge.

Instead, they ran decidedly out of steam after Trinity Rodman's opener and two goals from Mallory Swanson in the space of two minutes.

An apparent ankle injury forced versatile attacker Sophia Smith out before halftime, and the reality that Zambia posed no threat to mount a comeback while down a player convinced Hayes to remove the remaining four of her five most attack-minded starters by the 65th minute.

That was certainly the sensible way to manage a tournament in which there is a group match every three days. But it also served as a reminder that this particular squad isn't as experienced or as deep as USWNT rosters of previous cycles.

And while the American second unit did still create some quality chances, there was also some visible hesitation when going to goal, most notably on set pieces, where on multiple occasions the option taken was an attempted cross despite being well within shooting range.

Smith had an assist before she joined 19-year-old attacker Jaedyn Shaw on the list of U.S. injury concerns. The status of both players is unknown at the time of publication.

Like the USWNT, Germany are trying to put a disappointing 2023 World Cup showing behind them after failing to advance from the group stage for the first time in their history.

Unlike the Americans, the Germans have retained a large chunk of their veteran core, including midfielder and captain Alexandra Popp. And it was their oldest player — 34-year-old defender Marina Hegering — who headed her side in front on 25 minutes, on the first of two corner kick assists from Giulia Gwinn.

While the final suggested German dominance, the reality was a team that was more efficient in possession rather than a team that had the ball more. In fact, possession against Australia was split exactly 50-50, but Germany led 17-8 in shots and 4-2 in efforts on target.

Sjoeke Nusken, formerly a key player for U.S. manager Hayes in her time at Chelsea, went off at halftime of the victory but it's not clear if it was injury related.

The recent track record between these sides skews heavily in the Americans' direction, but most of those were also played on American soil, and all of them were closely contested. Additionally, the last six games — including that World Cup semifinal in 2015 — have all come in under 3.5 goals.

USA-Guinea Men's Soccer betting at BetMGM

USA open -165, now -250
▪️ 89% of bets, 98% of money on USA

Tie open +300, now +380
▪️ 6% of bets, 1% of money on Tie

Guinea open +425, now +550
▪️ 5% of bets, 1% of money on Guinea