Great Britain Olympic football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Great Britain

Nickname(s)	Team GB
Association	The Football Association (since 1907)
Most caps	Jim Lewis Mike Pinner (11)
Top scorer	Will Campbell (10)
FIFA code	GBR
First colours Second colours
First international
Great Britain 12–1 Sweden  (London, Great Britain; 20 October 1908)
Biggest win
Great Britain 12–1 Sweden  (London, Great Britain; 20 October 1908)
Biggest defeat
Bulgaria 6–1 Great Britain (Melbourne, Australia; 30 November 1956)  Bulgaria 5–0 Great Britain (Sofia, Bulgaria; 5 May 1971)
Olympic Games
Appearances	8 (first in 1900)
Best result	Gold: 1900,1908, 1912
Medal record Olympic Games Gold 1900 Paris Team Gold 1908 London Team Gold 1912 Stockholm Team

The Great Britain Olympic football team is a men's football team. It represents the United Kingdom at the Summer Olympic Games. The team is known as Team GB at the Olympics.

The Football Association (FA) organizes the team. This team only plays in the Olympic Games. For other big football tournaments, the different parts of the UK – England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland – have their own national teams. This has been the case for a very long time.

The team first played in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. This was the first time the Olympics had official football teams chosen from national players. Before that, in 1900 and 1904, club teams played instead. Great Britain won gold medals in 1908 and 1912.

After a break, the team played again in the 1936 Games. Players from all parts of the UK were included. The team then competed in every Olympics from 1948 until 1972. Their best result in this period was fourth place in 1948.

The FA stopped entering a team after 1974. This was because rules about amateur and professional players changed. For the 1992 Games, professional players under 23 were allowed, plus three older players. Even with this change, Great Britain did not enter a team until London hosted the 2012 Games.

A women's team also played in the 2012 and 2020 Games. Women's football was added to the Olympics in 1996.

Team History

How the Team Started

The Football Association (FA) was created in London in 1863. Thirteen teams met to create shared rules for football. This helped clubs play against each other more easily. At that time, international football was not common.

The first matches between national teams were set up by the FA. They invited English and Scottish players to form teams. Later, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) was formed in Scotland in 1873. The Football Association of Wales (FAW) started in 1876, and the Irish Football Association (IFA) in 1880.

So, football matches between the four parts of the UK (called the Home Nations) began before other countries had their own football groups. A single "United Kingdom football association" was never formed. When football was first included in the 1900 Olympic Games, many countries didn't have national teams ready. So, club teams played instead. Upton Park represented the UK and won the gold medal.

Early Olympic Success (1908–1936)

The Great Britain squad that won the gold medal in 1908.

For the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the FA helped make football an official tournament. A team of only English players was entered. This team competed as "United Kingdom" and won all three of its matches. They beat Sweden and Netherlands. In the final, they defeated Denmark 2–0.

The 1912 Olympic Final match where Great Britain won its second Gold medal after beating Denmark 4–2.

The team won again at the 1912 Games. They won all three matches and beat Denmark 4–2 in the final.

At the 1920 Summer Games, Great Britain lost in the first round to Norway. Britain only used amateur players, while other nations used their best players. This caused problems between the FA and FIFA. The FA wanted the Olympics to be only for amateur players. FIFA wanted a full world championship. This led to the FA leaving FIFA for a while. They also didn't enter the 1924 and 1928 Olympic football tournaments.

Eventually, they agreed that Olympic football would be for amateur players only. The FIFA World Cup was created for all players, both professional and amateur. Great Britain returned to Olympic football at the 1936 Summer Olympics. They lost 5–4 to Poland in the quarter-finals.

Post-War Years (1948–1972)

After World War II, Great Britain played in all Olympic football tournaments from 1948 to 1972. The 1948 tournament was held in London and was the team's most successful.

By this time, Britain's amateur players were not as strong as they used to be. This was because professional football had grown a lot. But in other countries, where professional leagues were not as developed, teams could field their strongest players. The manager, Matt Busby, led a team with players from all the Home Nations. Britain reached the semi-finals. They lost to Yugoslavia and then to Denmark, missing out on a bronze medal.

After 1948, Great Britain did not perform as well. They were knocked out early in 1952 and 1956. Their last appearance at an Olympic Games was in 1960. The team was again chosen from all the Home Nations. They were eliminated in the first round. After 1960, Great Britain failed to qualify for the next three Olympics. Their last qualifying match was a 5–0 loss to Bulgaria in 1971.

In 1974, the Football Association stopped separating professional and amateur players. All players were simply called 'players'. This meant the end of the amateur England team, which had been the basis for the British Olympic team. So, the FA stopped entering a football team in the Olympics.

Absence from the Tournament (1976–2008)

For the 1984 Summer Olympics, professional footballers were allowed to play for the first time. Later, from the 1992 Summer Olympics, teams could use players under 23 years old. They could also have three older players in the squad.

Even with these changes, Great Britain did not enter a team for many years. The UEFA European Under-21 Championship became the way for European nations to qualify. On four occasions, teams from Great Britain (England or Scotland) finished in qualifying spots, but a combined team was not sent.

The British Olympic Association wanted to enter a team for the 2008 Summer Olympics. England's Under-21 team had qualified. However, a team was not entered because the other three Home Nations did not agree.

Return for London 2012

The BOA released a supporters' shirt for fans of Team GB

Because London won the right to host the 2012 Games, the United Kingdom could enter a team as the host nation. The British Olympic Association (BOA) wanted to enter a football team. However, the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish football associations were worried. They feared that playing as Great Britain might make them lose their special independent status in football.

Many people, including fans and politicians, shared their opinions. FIFA President Sepp Blatter first said that playing as one team for the Olympics would not affect the Home Nations' status. But later, he seemed to change his mind. He suggested that only a team of English players should enter.

A solution was finally found. A squad made up only of English players would represent the United Kingdom. However, the BOA wanted to pick players from all four countries. They said it would be unfair to only pick English players. It was then confirmed that the FA would select players from outside England too. Players like Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey from Wales wanted to play.

Getting Ready for the Tournament

In October 2011, Stuart Pearce was announced as the manager. He made a list of players he wanted to consider. Players who didn't want to be included could say so. It was decided that players chosen for the UEFA Euro 2012 England squad would not be picked for the Olympics. This was to avoid players getting too tired.

In January 2012, it was shared that 191 players were contacted, and 7 said no. The list was cut to about 80 players in April 2012. The final squad of 35 players was given to FIFA in early June.

Great Britain was placed in Group A for the Olympic tournament. The draw on April 24, 2012, added Uruguay, United Arab Emirates, and Senegal to their group. The final 18-man squad was announced on July 2, 2012.

The Olympic Tournament

Kick-off against Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium.

Great Britain's first match was a 1–1 draw with Senegal on July 26. Craig Bellamy scored for Great Britain. Their second match was a 3–1 win against the United Arab Emirates. Ryan Giggs, Scott Sinclair, and Daniel Sturridge scored. Sturridge scored again in the 1–0 win against Uruguay in their last group game.

Aaron Ramsey missed a penalty kick against South Korea in the 40th minute.

In the knockout stage, Great Britain played South Korea in the quarter-finals. The score was 1–1 after extra time. The match went to a penalty shoot-out. Great Britain lost 4–5 after Sturridge missed his shot.

Future of the Team (2016–Present)

After the 2012 Olympics, there were no public plans to bring the men's team back for future Games. The FA said they would not support a future men's team. The main problem is that the individual Home Nations compete in the qualifying tournaments, so there's no clear way for a Great Britain team to qualify.

In 2015, the FA changed its view. They thought the Olympic tournament was good for young players. They told the other Home Nations they wanted to enter teams in 2016 if England qualified. But the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish associations were still against it. They feared losing their independent status. So, the FA decided not to enter teams for 2016.

After Team GB didn't play in the 2016 Olympics, talks started again for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. FIFA approved the idea of a Great Britain team for 2020. But the Welsh, Scottish, and Northern Irish FAs still had concerns. However, the FA chief executive, Martin Glenn, said that FIFA had confirmed their independent status would not be affected.

An agreement was reached for a women's team to play in the 2020 Summer Olympics. This depended on England's performance in the 2019 World Cup. But this agreement did not include the men's team.

After the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, there were hopes for a men's team at Paris 2024. However, this did not happen. England's Under-21 team did finish in a qualifying spot for 2024.

As of mid-2025, discussions have restarted about bringing the Great Britain men's team back for Los Angeles 2028. However, the chief of the Football Association of Wales said that no talks had begun and their focus was on Wales playing in tournaments.

Team Colors

The official uniform for the 2012 Olympics was designed by Stella McCartney. It was made by Adidas. The front of the shirt looked like the union flag, with white and different shades of blue. The back of the shirt, shorts, and socks were navy blue with red trim. The away kit was light blue and white. The team's badge was on the left side of the shirt. It had the Team GB logo in blue with "London 2012" below it.

Players

Team Makeup

The players on the team have changed over time. In 1908, 1912, 1920, and 1956, all players were English. In other years, players from Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales were also included. The 2012 squad had 13 English and 5 Welsh players. There were no Scottish or Northern Irish players.

Jack Butland was the only player chosen for both the Olympics and the England UEFA Euro 2012 squad. Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy, and Micah Richards were the three older players allowed in the squad. Famous former England captain David Beckham was considered but not chosen for the final squad.

London 2012 Squad

The Great Britain squad for the 2012 Olympic Games was announced on July 2, 2012. Ryan Giggs was named captain.

• The three over-age players are marked with a *
• Clubs listed are where the player was registered during the Olympics
• Players' ages are how old they were on the day of their first game at the Olympics

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Jack Butland	19	5	0	Birmingham City
18	1GK	Jason Steele	21	1	0	Middlesbrough
2	2DF	Neil Taylor	23	5	0	Swansea City
3	2DF	Ryan Bertrand	22	4	0	Chelsea
5	2DF	Steven Caulker	20	5	0	Tottenham Hotspur
6	2DF	Craig Dawson	22	3	0	West Bromwich Albion
12	2DF	James Tomkins	23	2	0	West Ham United
14	2DF	Micah Richards*	24	5	0	Manchester City
4	3MF	Danny Rose	22	4	0	Tottenham Hotspur
7	3MF	Tom Cleverley	22	5	0	Manchester United
8	3MF	Joe Allen	22	5	0	Swansea City
11	3MF	Ryan Giggs* (captain)	38	4	1	Manchester United
13	3MF	Jack Cork	23	4	0	Southampton
15	3MF	Aaron Ramsey	21	5	1	Arsenal
16	3MF	Scott Sinclair	23	4	1	Swansea City
9	4FW	Daniel Sturridge	22	5	2	Chelsea
10	4FW	Craig Bellamy*	33	5	1	Liverpool
17	4FW	Marvin Sordell	21	3	0	Bolton Wanderers

Records and Statistics

Olympic Games Performance

     Gold medalists  
     Silver medalists  
     Bronze medalists  

Summer Olympics											Qualification								Manager
Year	Host	Round	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Squad		Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	F	A
1900	France	Gold medal	1	1	0	0	5	0			Upton Park F.C. represents Great Britain
1904	United States	Did not enter									Did not enter								N/A
1908	United Kingdom	Gold medal	3	3	0	0	18	1	Squad	No qualification phase							Davis
1912	Sweden	Gold medal	3	3	0	0	15	2	Squad								Birch
1920	Belgium	First round	1	0	0	1	1	3	Squad								Latham
1924	France	Did not enter															N/A
1928	Netherlands
1936	Germany	Second round	2	1	0	1	6	5	Squad	Voisey
1948	United Kingdom	Fourth place	4	2	0	2	9	11	Squad	Busby
1952	Finland	Preliminary round	1	0	0	1	3	5	Squad	Winterbottom
1956	Australia	Second round	2	1	0	1	10	6	Squad	2nd	2	0	1	1	3	5	Creek
1960	Italy	Group stage	3	1	1	1	8	8	Squad	3rd	4	3	1	0	13	6
1964	Japan	Did not qualify									R1	4	3	0	1	13	5		N/A
1968	Mexico										FR	4	1	1	2	2	2
1972	West Germany										R1	2	1	0	1	1	5
1976	Canada	Did not enter									Did not enter
1980	Soviet Union
1984	United States
1988	South Korea
1992	Spain
1996	United States
2000	Australia
2004	Greece
2008	China
2012	United Kingdom	Quarter-finals	4	2	2	0	6	3	Squad	Qualified as hosts							Pearce
2016	Brazil	Did not enter									Did not enter								N/A
2020	Japan
2024	France
Total		Gold medal	23	13	3	7	76	44	—		3/6	16	8	3	5	32	23

Olympic Finals

1908 Final Match

24 October 1908 15:00	Great Britain	2–0	Denmark	White City, London Attendance: 8,000 Referee: John Lewis (Great Britain)
	Chapman  20' Woodward  46'	Report

1912 Final Match

4 July 1912 19:00	Great Britain	4–2	Denmark	Stockholms Stadion, Stockholm Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Christiaan Groothoff (Netherlands)
	Hoare  22', 41' Walden  10' Berry  43'	Report	Olsen  27', 81'

Match Results

Here is a summary of Great Britain's games at the Olympic Games.

Great Britain  v  Sweden

20 October 1908 1908 Olympics – Quarter-Final	Great Britain	12–1	Sweden	London, UK
	Stapley  10' Woodward  ?', ?' Berry  ?' Chapman  ?' Purnell  ?', ?', ?', ?' Hawkes  ?', ?'		Bergström  65'	Stadium: White City Stadium Attendance: 2,000 Referee: John Ibbotson (GB)

Great Britain  v  Netherlands

22 October 1908 1908 Olympics – Semi-Final	Great Britain	4–0	Netherlands	London, UK
	Stapley  37', 60', 64', 75'			Stadium: White City Stadium Attendance: 6,000 Referee: John Howcroft (GB)

Great Britain  v  Denmark

24 October 1908 1908 Olympics – Final	Great Britain	2–0	Denmark	London, UK
	Chapman  20' Woodward  65'			Stadium: White City Stadium Attendance: 6,000 Referee: John Lewis (GB)

Hungary v  Great Britain

30 June 1912 1912 Olympics – Quarter-Final	Hungary	0–7	Great Britain	Stockholm, Sweden
			Walden  21', 23', 49', 55', 85' Woodward  45', 53'	Stadium: Olympiastadion Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Christiaan Groothoff (Sweden)

Finland v  Great Britain

2 July 1912 1912 Olympics – Semi-Final	Finland	0–4	Great Britain	Stockholm, Sweden
			Holopainen  2' (OG) Walden  7', 77' Woodward  82'	Stadium: Olympiastadion Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Ruben Gelbord (Sweden)

Denmark  v  Great Britain

4 July 1912 1912 Olympics – Final	Denmark	2–4	Great Britain	Stockholm, Sweden
	Olsen  27', 81'		Walden  10' Hoare  22', 41' Berry  43'	Stadium: Olympiastadion Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Christiaan Groothoff (Sweden)

Norway  v  Great Britain

28 August 1920 1920 Olympics – Round 1	Norway	3–1	Great Britain	Antwerp, Belgium
	Gundersen  13', 51' Wilhelms  63'		Nicholas  25'	Stadium: Olympisch Stadion Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Johannes Mutters (Netherlands)

China  v  Great Britain

6 August 1936 1936 Olympics – Round 1	China	0–2	Great Britain	Berlin, Nazi Germany
			Dodds  55' Finch  65'	Stadium: Mommsenstadion Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Helmut Fink (Nazi Germany)

Poland  v  Great Britain

8 August 1936 1936 Olympics – Quarter-Final	Poland	5–4	Great Britain	Berlin, Nazi Germany
	Gad  33' Wodarz  43', 48', 53' Piec  56'		Clements  26' Shearer  71' Joy  78', 80'	Stadium: Poststadion Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Rudolf Eklöw (Sweden)

Note: From 1948, many Eastern European countries played with their full national teams in the Olympics. Britain always used an amateur team, as per Olympic rules at the time.

Great Britain  v  Netherlands

31 July 1948 1948 Olympics – Round 1	Great Britain	4–3 (a.e.t.)	Netherlands	London, UK
	McBain  22' Hardisty  58' Kelleher  77' McIlvenny  111'		Appel  9', 63' Wilkes  81'	Stadium: Highbury Stadium Attendance: 21,000 Referee: Valdemar Laursen (Denmark)

Great Britain  v  France

5 August 1948 1948 Olympics – Quarter-Final	Great Britain	1–0	France	London, UK
	Hardisty  29'			Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Karel van der Meer (Netherlands)

Great Britain  v  Yugoslavia

11 August 1948 1948 Olympics – Semi-Final	Great Britain	1–3	Yugoslavia	London, UK
	Donovan  20'		Bobek  19' Wölfl  24' Mitić  48'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Karel van der Meer (Netherlands)

Great Britain  v  Denmark

13 August 1948 1948 Olympics – Bronze Medal Match	Great Britain	3–5	Denmark	London, UK
	Aitken  5' Hardisty  33' Amor  63'		Præst  12', 49' Hansen  16', 77' Sørensen  41'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Karel van der Meer (Netherlands)

Luxembourg  v  Great Britain

16 July 1952 1952 Olympics – Preliminary Round	Luxembourg	5–3 (a.e.t.)	Great Britain	Lahti, Finland
	Roller  60', 95', 97' Letsch  91' Gales  102'		Robb  12' Slater  101' Lewis  118'	Stadium: Lahden kisapuisto Attendance: 3,740 Referee: Vincenzo Orlandini (Italy)

Bulgaria  v  Great Britain

23 October 1955 1956 Olympics – Qualifying	Bulgaria	2–0	Great Britain	Sofia, Bulgaria
	Stefanov  30' Yanev  61'			Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Giorgio Bernardi (Italy)

Great Britain  v  Bulgaria

12 May 1956 1956 Olympics – Qualifying	Great Britain	3–3 (3–5 agg.)	Bulgaria	London, UK
	Hardisty  12', 62' Lewis  77' (pen.)		Milanov  28' Prince  32' (o.g.) Dimitrov  66'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Giorgio Bernardi (Italy)

Note: Britain lost 5–3 on aggregate, but was allowed to compete in Melbourne anyway.

Thailand  v  Great Britain

26 November 1956 1956 Olympics – Round 1	Thailand	0–9	Great Britain	Melbourne, Australia
			Twissell  12', 20' Lewis  21' (pen.) Laybourne  30', 82', 85' Bromilow  75', 78' Topp  90'	Stadium: Olympic Park Stadium Attendance: 3,693 Referee: Nikolay Latyshev (USSR)

Bulgaria  v  Great Britain

30 November 1956 1956 Olympics – Quarter-Final	Bulgaria	6–1	Great Britain	Melbourne, Australia
	Dimitrov  6' Kolev  40', 85' Milanov  45', 75', 80'		Lewis  30'	Stadium: Olympic Park Stadium Attendance: 6,748 Referee: Ron Wright (Australia)

Great Britain  v  Republic of Ireland

21 November 1959 1960 Olympics – Qualifying	Great Britain	3–2	Republic of Ireland	Hove, UK
	Devine  1' Hasty  45', 80'		Aherne Rice	Stadium: Goldstone Ground Attendance: 7,800 Referee: Arthur Blavier (Belgium)

Republic of Ireland  v  Great Britain

13 March 1960 1960 Olympics – Qualifying	Republic of Ireland	1–3	Great Britain	Dublin, Ireland
	McGrath  ?'		Coates  ?' Brown  ?' Harding  ?'	Stadium: Dalymount Park Attendance: 19,000

Netherlands  v  Great Britain

2 April 1960 1960 Olympics – Qualifying	Netherlands	1–5	Great Britain	Zwolle, Netherlands
	Hainje  29'		Lewis  ?', ?', ?' Lindsay  25' Brown  31'	Stadium: Oosterenkstadion or at ZAC Attendance: 9,000

Great Britain  v  Netherlands

13 April 1960 1960 Olympics – Qualifying	Great Britain	2–2 (GB qualify)	Netherlands	London, UK
	Brown  ?' Lewis  ?'		De Kleermaeker  ?' Bouwman  ?'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 3,950

Brazil  v  Great Britain

26 August 1960 1960 Olympics – Group Stage	Brazil	4–3	Great Britain	Livorno, Italy
	Gérson  2' China  61',  72' Wanderley  64'		Brown  32', 87' Lewis  47'	Stadium: Stadio di Ardenza Attendance: 13,590 Referee: Josef Kandlbinder (FR Germany)

Italy  v  Great Britain

29 August 1960 1960 Olympics – Group Stage	Italy	2–2	Great Britain	Rome, Italy
13:00	Rossano  11', 55'		Brown  23' Hasty  75'	Referee: Lucien van Nuffel (Belgium)

Great Britain  v  Republic of China

1 September 1960 1960 Olympics – Group Stage	Great Britain	3–2	Republic of China	Grosseto, Italy
12:00	Lewis  35' Brown  58' Hasty  85'		Chuk Yin Yiu  70', 88'	Stadium: Stadio Olimpico Comunale Referee: Josef Kandlbinder (FR Germany)

Great Britain  v  Senegal

26 July 2012 2012 Olympics – Group Stage	Great Britain	1–1	Senegal	Manchester, UK
20:00	Bellamy  20'		Konaté  82'	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 72,176 Referee: Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Great Britain  v  United Arab Emirates

29 July 2012 2012 Olympics – Group Stage	Great Britain	3–1	United Arab Emirates	London, UK
19:45	Giggs  16' Sinclair  73' Sturridge  76'		Eisa  60'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 85,137 Referee: García (Mexico)

Great Britain  v  Uruguay

1 August 2012 2012 Olympics – Group Stage	Great Britain	1–0	Uruguay	Cardiff, UK
19:45	Sturridge  45+1'			Stadium: Millennium Stadium Attendance: 70,438 Referee: Nishimura (Japan)

Great Britain  v  South Korea

4 August 2012 2012 Olympics – Quarter-Finals	Great Britain	1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p)	South Korea	Cardiff, UK
19:30	Ramsey  36' (pen.)		Ji Dong-won  29'	Stadium: Millennium Stadium Attendance: 70,171 Referee: Roldán (Colombia)
	Penalties
	Ramsey Cleverley Dawson Giggs Sturridge		Koo Ja-cheol Baek Sung-dong Hwang Seok-ho Park Jong-woo Ki Sung-yueng

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol sub-23 del Reino Unido para niños

• Great Britain women's Olympic football team
• United Kingdom national football team
• Unaffiliated United Nations states