Paris 2024 Football Tournament Prediction: Expecting to See Best Players From Top Clubs

The football tournament is one of the most exciting disciplines at the Olympic Games. Traditionally, the youth teams will come to Paris, but we will also see the established stars - three places in the squads are reserved for experienced players. Which one is announced for the Olympics, and which team will win the gold medal? 

Bookmakers have placed the French national team at the top of the favorites list for the soccer tournament at the Olympics in Paris, much like at Euro-2024. Despite the main team's loss in Germany, there's a sense of hope and optimism surrounding the youth team's potential to clinch victory at the Olympics.

The French have a good lineup - almost all the young players play for the leading teams in the Ligue 1. Three experienced - defender Loïc Bade from Sevilla, forwards Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon, and Jean-Philip Mateta from Crystal Palace. The head coach is the legendary Thierry Henry. France's opponents in the group stage are the USA, Guinea, and New Zealand.

Argentina's national team has won all the honors in recent years. The team led by Lionel Messi was the strongest at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and in the two previous America's Cups—2021 and 2024.

There is no Messi on the Olympic team. There is no Messi on the Olympic team, but there is Julian Alvarez—one of the leading forwards of our time. Two more players over 23 are Ajax goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli and defender Nicolas Otamendi, now playing for Benfica. The head coach is Javier Mascherano, an ex-Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder. Argentina's opponents on the group stage are Morocco, Iraq, and Ukraine.

The Spanish national team, with their recent win at the European Championship 2024 in Germany, has once again proven that they are not to be underestimated. Their strong performance at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, where they only lost to Brazil in the final, should instill a sense of pride and confidence in their potential at the upcoming Olympics.

Unlike Argentina and France, the Spaniards do not boast any big names. Only two players are over the age of 23 - 24-year-old striker Abel Ruiz from Girona and defender Juan Miranda from Bologna. Santiago Denia Sanchez is the head coach. Spain's group opponents are Egypt, Uzbekistan, and the Dominican Republic. Spain is the third favorite.

According to the tournament format, the winner of Group B, possibly Argentina, will be placed at the bottom of the group. In contrast, the winners of Groups A and C, perhaps France and Spain, will be placed at the top and should theoretically meet in the semifinals. So the Spanish and French have a more complicated journey than the Argentinians, but as the recent European Championships have shown, is this a problem for Spain in particular?

Spanish football is known for its systematic approach, and the coach who has previously led the U-17 and U-19 European Championships to victory, as well as secured silver at the U-21 European Championship in 2023 and the U-17 World Cup in 2017, will now lead the national team to the Olympic Games. This continuity should reassure the audience of Spain's potential to win gold medals at the next Olympic Games.

At the same time, we will take another bet on Julian Alvarez to be the top scorer. Once again, the Argentinians are likely to play the maximum number of games - the tournament's format allows them to count on reaching the final. So, one of the top scorers at the 2022 World Cup will have an excellent chance to show off his goalkeeping skills at the tournament in Paris.