Football at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament final facts for kids
| Paris Le Parc des Princes (cropped).jpg
Parc des Princes in Paris hosted the final
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| Event | Football at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament | ||||||
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| After extra time | |||||||
| Date | 9 August 2024 | ||||||
| Venue | Parc des Princes, Paris | ||||||
| Referee | Ramon Abatti (Brazil) | ||||||
| Attendance | 44,260 | ||||||
| Weather | Partly cloudy 26 °C (79 °F) 58% humidity |
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← 2020
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The 2024 Summer Olympic football gold medal match was the big final game of the men's football tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. This exciting match decided which team would win the gold medal. It was the 26th time the men's football final was played at the Olympics. This tournament happens every four years. It features national teams made up of players under 23 years old. These teams are from countries that are part of FIFA, the world football organization.
The final game took place at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, on August 9, 2024. For the first time, the men's final was played before the women's final. The teams playing for the gold medal were the host country, France, and Spain. Spain had won the silver medal at the previous Olympics. Both teams were hoping to win their second Olympic title. France had won in 1984, and Spain had won in 1992.
France wanted to win at home, just like Spain did in 1992. Spain hoped to win the Olympics after also winning the UEFA Euro 2024 football championship. France had actually beaten Spain in the UEFA Euro 1984 final at the same stadium. In the end, Spain won the match 5–3 after extra time. This gave Spain their second gold medal in football, and their first in 32 years!
Contents
The Stadium: Parc des Princes
The final match was played at the famous Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. This stadium first opened way back in 1897. It has been updated twice since 1972. The first time was for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The second time was for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.
The Parc des Princes has hosted many important football games. It was the venue for the UEFA Euro finals in 1960 and 1984. It also hosted six finals for different European club competitions. Many matches from the 1938 and 1998 World Cups were played here. The stadium also hosted games during the 2019 Women's World Cup.
How the Teams Reached the Final
Both France and Spain had to play several matches to reach the gold medal game. They started in a group stage, playing against other teams. Then, they moved on to the knockout stage.
France's Journey
France was in Group A. They played against the USA, Guinea, and New Zealand. France won all three of their group matches. They beat the USA 3–0, Guinea 1–0, and New Zealand 3–0. This meant they finished as the winners of Group A.
In the knockout stage, France first played against Argentina in the quarter-finals. They won that match 1–0. Next, in the semi-finals, France faced Egypt. They won this game 3–1 after extra time. This victory sent them to the final.
Spain's Journey
Spain was in Group C. Their opponents were Uzbekistan, Dominican Republic, and Egypt. Spain won two of their group matches. They beat the Dominican Republic 3–1 and Egypt 2–1. However, they lost to Uzbekistan 2–1. Spain finished as the runners-up (second place) in Group C.
In the knockout stage, Spain played against Japan in the quarter-finals. They won convincingly with a score of 3–0. In the semi-finals, Spain played Morocco. They won that match 2–1, which earned them a spot in the gold medal final.
The Gold Medal Match
Match Details
| 9 August 2024 18:00 |
France  |
3–5 (a.e.t.) |
 Spain |
Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance: 44,260 Referee: Ramon Abatti (Brazil) |
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The match was very exciting and went into extra time. France scored three goals. Enzo Millot scored first in the 11th minute. Maghnes Akliouche scored in the 79th minute. Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a penalty kick in the 90+3 minute.
Spain scored five goals. Fermín López scored two goals early, in the 18th and 25th minutes. Álex Baena added another goal in the 28th minute. Sergio Camello scored two more goals in extra time, in the 100th and 120+1 minutes, securing the win for Spain.
Team Line-ups
Here are the kits worn by the teams and the main players who started the match.
          France
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    Spain
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The referee for the match was Ramon Abatti from Brazil. The game followed standard football rules. If the score was tied after 90 minutes, they would play extra time. If it was still tied after extra time, a penalty shootout would decide the winner.
|style="width:60%; vertical-align:top;"| Match rules
- 90 minutes
- 30 minutes of extra time if necessary
- Penalty shoot-out if scores still level
- Maximum of seven named substitutes
- Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time
- Maximum of three substitution opportunities, with a fourth allowed in extra time
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