Football (Soccer)

The most popular ball sport in the world, known generally as Football and often referred to as Soccer, has featured at all but one Olympic Games since 1900. The game is beloved by fans for the exhilarating shows of agility and passionate sense of play displayed by its athletes. Matches are contested by two teams of 11 players each (10 outfielders and one goalkeeper), who work together to try and score by kicking and heading the ball into the opposing team’s goal while defending their own. The goalkeeper is the only player allowed to handle the ball. A match consists of two 45-minute halves and the team with the most points at the end wins. In the case of a tie when a winner is required, two 15-minute periods of extra time ensue with the potential for a penalty shoot-out if the score is still tied at the end of extra time. The Olympic Football (Soccer) tournaments feature a group stage with a round-robin format, followed by a knockout stage. LA28 marks the return of the women’s Olympic Football (Soccer) tournament to the U.S. for the first time since the inaugural edition at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Preliminary stages will occur across multiple host cities (to be determined) and finals stages will take place at Rose Bowl Stadium.