Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Men's football

at the Games of the XI Olympiad

Dates

Aug 3-15

Competitors

from 16 nations

Medalists

		Italy national football team Italy
		Austria national football team Austria
		Norway national football team Norway

← 1928

1948 →

A ball from the competitions is on display at the German Leather Museum.

The 1936 Olympic football tournament was a big event where countries competed for gold, silver, and bronze medals. It took place in Berlin, Germany. Sixteen nations sent their best football teams to play.

Italy was expected to win. They had already won the 1934 FIFA World Cup two years before. The host country, Germany, was also a strong team. They had a great record at home. However, Germany was knocked out in the quarter-finals. Many people watched the final games. A total of 195,000 fans came to see who would win the bronze and gold medals.

Medal Winners
How the Tournament Worked
Final Standings
Images for kids
See also

Medal Winners

Here are the teams and players who won medals at the 1936 Olympic football tournament:

Italy

Gold Medal: Italy
Bruno Venturini
Alfredo Foni
Pietro Rava
Giuseppe Baldo
Achille Piccini
Ugo Locatelli
Annibale Frossi
Libero Marchini
Luigi Scarabello
Carlo Biagi
Giulio Cappelli
Sergio Bertoni
Alfonso Negro
Francesco Gabriotti

Austria

Silver Medal: Austria
Franz Fuchsberger
Max Hofmeister
Eduard Kainberger
Karl Kainberger
Martin Kargl
Josef Kitzmüller
Anton Krenn
Ernst Künz
Adolf Laudon
Franz Mandl
Klement Steinmetz
Karl Wahlmüller
Walter Werginz

Norway

Bronze Medal: Norway
Henry Johansen
Fredrik Horn
Nils Eriksen
Frithjof Ulleberg
Jørgen Juve
Rolf Holmberg
Sverre Hansen
Magnar Isaksen
Alf Martinsen
Reidar Kvammen
Arne Brustad
Øivind Holmsen
Odd Frantzen
Magdalon Monsen

How the Tournament Worked

The tournament was a knockout competition. This means that if a team lost a match, they were out of the competition.

First Round Matches

The first round saw some exciting games.

On August 3, Italy beat the USA 1-0. Norway also won, defeating Turkey 4-0.
On August 4, Japan surprised many by beating Sweden 3-2. Germany, the host nation, had a huge win against Luxembourg, scoring 9-0.
On August 5, Poland won against Hungary 3-0. Austria defeated Egypt 3-1.
On August 6, Peru had a high-scoring game, beating Finland 7-3. Great Britain won their match against the Republic of China 2-0.

Quarter-Finals: Big Upsets and Controversy

The quarter-finals brought some big moments.

Italy continued their strong performance, beating Japan 8-0.
A major surprise happened when Norway defeated Germany 2-0. This meant the host nation was out of the tournament.
Poland won a thrilling match against Great Britain with a score of 5-4.
The match between Peru and Austria was very controversial. Peru won 4-2 in extra time. However, there was a pitch invasion during the game. Because of this, the match was declared invalid. It was decided that the game should be replayed. Peru did not agree with this decision and left the tournament. So, Austria was given the win automatically.

Semi-Finals: The Road to the Final

With Peru out, Austria moved on to the semi-finals.

Italy played against Norway. It was a close game that went into extra time. Italy won 2-1, securing their spot in the final.
Austria faced Poland in the other semi-final. Austria won 3-1, which meant they would play Italy for the gold medal.

Bronze Medal Match

Before the final, Norway and Poland played for the bronze medal.

Norway won this exciting match 3-2 against Poland. This earned Norway the bronze medal.

The Final: Gold Medal Match

The final match for the gold medal was played on August 15, 1936.

Italy played against Austria. Just like the semi-final, this game also went into extra time. Italy scored two goals, winning 2-1 against Austria. This victory meant Italy won the gold medal, proving they were the best team in the tournament.