Should football be abolished at the Olympics? Advantages and disadvantages at a glance

Author: Soccer-ticket.com | Published on 20. September 2024

The Olympic Games have been a sporting and social highlight for many centuries and represent a lifelong dream for athletes from various disciplines. Being able to represent their own country at the Olympics and using their trained sporting ambition to win one of the coveted medals is the personal Olympus for many athletes.

Football has also been an Olympic sport since 1908. Back then, Great Britain won the first football gold medal in the history of the Olympic Games after beating Denmark 2-0 in the final. From a German perspective, the GDR won gold at the 1976 Games in Montreal after beating Poland 3:1. The reunited Germany came close to a major success in 2016, but lost 4-5 on penalties to Brazil in the final.

Unfortunately, the women’s tournament has only been part of the Olympics since 1996, but the German women have been far more successful than their male counterparts in the history of the Olympic Games. The USA dominate the medal statistics with 4 gold medals. Germany secured the coveted gold medal in Brazil in 2016, but had previously won bronze in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Although football has been an integral part of the Olympic Games for over 100 years, there has been repeated criticism as to whether it would not make sense to remove football from the Olympic competition list. Football at the Olympics: yes or no? We have a look at the pros and cons.

Why is football being criticised at the Olympics?

Football is one of the world’s most popular sports. According to the DFB statistics on the official association website, there were 2,272,414 registered athletes in football in 2024 alone. There were also 138,962 registered teams. This shows that football has deep roots, especially in Germany, and yet calls to abolish the Olympic football tournament are becoming louder and louder in this country too.

One reason for this is certainly the abundance of national and international competitions that already exist in professional football. The Olympics often flies under the radar in this respect and it is a fact that the football matches at the Games do not necessarily have the best TV ratings compared to other sports broadcasts. Fans also criticise the fact that the nations at the Olympics are not given the chance to compete with the country’s best footballers.

The reason for this is that an Olympic football team may only consist of three players over the age of 23. The remaining players in the squad may not be older than 23. This is intended to promote young talent in particular, although it deprives some nations of the opportunity to participate with their senior team.

Abolishing football at the Olympics – the advantages

• Participating players are exposed to less physical strain before the start of the new season
• Football is usually overshadowed by other sports at the Olympics anyway
• In years with a major tournament such as a European Championship or World Cup, football fans are usually saturated
• The world’s best footballers are usually no longer allowed to take part in the Olympic Games due to age restrictions

Abolishing football at the Olympics – the disadvantages

• The Olympic Games require competitions with the world’s most popular sports
• The Olympics are usually a good opportunity for women’s football to present itself on the big world stage
• The Olympic tournament gives young players the chance to attract the attention of larger clubs
• The Olympics also represent an opportunity for smaller football nations to celebrate a major triumph

Where can you buy football tickets for the Olympics?

It is likely that football will remain an Olympic sport in the long term, as the popularity of the sport and the viewing figures often determine whether a discipline is considered for the Olympic Games.

We always give you the opportunity to compare cheap football tickets for national team matches. In this respect, the secondary market also provides insight into the topic of football tickets for the Olympics. So if you’re thinking of attending the next Olympic Games and want to be there live for a clash between two top teams, use our platform to make the best football ticket price comparisons.

Conclusion: One of the most popular sports in the world is part of the Olympics, but …

Olympics without football? That’s not possible! Football should remain an Olympic sport, as it is one of the most widespread and popular sports in the world. The women’s tournament is often more in the media spotlight than the men’s tournament and this aspect alone is an important plus point for Olympic football. Smaller football nations have the opportunity to compete with the world’s top teams due to the age restrictions, which makes the two football tournaments even more exciting.

However, football fans should be aware that football is usually only a side note at the Olympics. There are simply so many football competitions that sports fans are happy during the Olympic Games when the focus is also placed on other areas such as swimming, horse riding, hockey and the like. And that is particularly nice: at the Olympic Games, all sports fans get their money’s worth.