Why is there no Team GB women’s football side at the Paris 2024 Olympics?

It’s a significant week for sport as the 2024 Olympic games in Paris officially gets underway.

The women’s football tournament kicks off on Thursday, July 25 and will take place at stadiums across France. Host cities include Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, Bordeaux, Marseille and Saint-Etienne. 

Holders Canada will be hoping to retain their gold medals, while 2023 Women’s World Cup winners Spain will be hoping to medal at the games for the first time. The USA have won the most gold medals, with a staggering four, as well as one silver and one bronze.

Team GB had little success at the Olympic gams in the two years they entered the tournament in 2012 and 2020. However, this year they will have no representation and their wait for a medal rumbles on.

Why are the women’s Great Britain side not playing football at the Olympics?

Team GB in action at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics against Australia / Atsushi Tomura/GettyImages

Team GB have fielded a women’s team at previous tournaments, including London 2012 and Tokyo 2020. Despite qualifying for Rio in 2016, strong objections from the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations meant they could not seek entry.

The team was reinstated for the Tokyo Olympics and qualification was secured through the Lionesses’ semi-final appearance at the 2019 Women’s World Cup. However, this year’s absence from the Olympics is nothing to do with disagreements between the four associations, but simply England’s failure to qualify.

England, as the highest-ranked nation, were responsible for Team GB’s qualification, which has often been the case. A shift in qualification format meant it was no longer based on World Cup performance – the Lionesses reached the final at the 2023 tournament in Australia.

This year, qualification was determined by the inaugural edition of the Women’s Nations League. Only the nations who reached the latter stages of the competition were able to qualify, which was Spain and Germany, as well as France as the host nation.

England were knocked out of the Nations League at the group stage after they finished second behind the Netherlands on goal difference. This meant Team GB were also eliminated from qualifying and their hopes of competing at this summer’s Olympics ended.

Team GB first fielded a women’s team at the London 2012 Olympics. They finished top of their group, which also consisted of Brazil, New Zealand and Cameroon, having won all three of their fixtures.

They faced Canada in the quarter-finals, but were beaten 2-0 by their opponents after goals from Jonelle Filigno and Christine Sinclair.

At Tokyo 2020, Team GB once again qualified top of their group, this time ahead of Canada, Chile and Japan. However, their hopes were once again shattered in the quarter-finals as they were beaten 4-3 by Australia.

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