Paris 2024 Olympic Games: calendar, date, location, history… Everything you need to know about the women’s football tournament

Les Françaises espèrent glaner l’or, malgré une forte concurrence. MAXPPP – Emma BUONCRISTIANI

l'essentiel Avant les Jeux Olympiques (26 juillet-11 août), découvrez le mode d’emploi de toutes les disciplines. Focus sur le tournoi de football féminin.

The origins

Football would be a derivative of "calcio", played in Florence during the Renaissance. But the first rules were drawn up in England, at the University of Cambridge, in 1846, and it was the English Federation, born in 1863, which would enact the laws of the game.

While men's football appeared in the Olympics at the Paris Games in 1900, women's football became Olympic since Atlanta in 1996, without age restrictions or amateur/professional status.

The Trials

Football pits two teams of 11 players, including a goalkeeper, against each other on a field approximately 100m long and 65m wide. The goals are 7.32m wide by 2.44m high.

The matches last two periods of 45 minutes, with, in the knockout stages, an extension of two times 15 minutes in the event of a tie between the two teams. If the tie persists, the winning team is decided after a penalty shootout.

With matches from July 25, football (July 24 for men), is one of the three sports (along with rugby sevens and shooting). arc) to begin before the opening ceremony.

The competition

Twelve teams are divided into three groups. The first two and the two best thirds compete in the quarter-finals until the final for the gold medal at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Saturday August 10 (5 p.m.).

A small final will take place in Lyon on Friday August 9 (3 p.m.) to determine the bronze medal.

The matches are played in seven different cities, Paris, Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon, Saint-Étienne, Marseille and Nice.

The prize list

1996: ÉUnis

2000: Norway

2004: ÉUnis

2008: ÉUnis

2012: ÉUnis

2016: Germany

2020: Canada

L’Spain big favorite ?

After its world title last summer in Australia and carried by the Ballon d’Or Aitana Bonmati, Spain, N.1 in the Fifa rank, seems without real competition.

In February, the Spanish won a second trophy, the League of Nations by teaching the French a lesson (2-0). At the end of May, FC Barcelona, ​​where several Spanish internationals play, won the Champions League by beating Olympique Lyonnais (2-0).

In a Group C within its reach (Japan, Nigeria, Brazil), the Spanish selection is on its way to achieving a World Cup double – Olympic Games, while fighting for better consideration and against sexist violence in sport.

France, first title ?

Qualified automatically as host country, Hervé Renard's French team made gold its main objective after the elimination in quarter-final at the World Cup last summer.

Not qualified in Tokyo, France, led by captain Wendie Renard who could play her last international competition, is part of a fairly tough Group A with Colombia, Canada – reigning Olympic champions – and New Zealand.

In the third group (B) with Zambia and Australia, the United States of new coach Emma Hayes and Germany must redeem themselves after the failure of the World Cup in Australia.