France, Argentina, Spain Lead Men’s Olympic Field
2024 Men’s Olympic Soccer Outrights: Group-by-Group Preview
Defending Champions Brazil Fail to Qualify
Two-time defending Men’s Olympic soccer champions Brazil failed to qualify for the Paris 2024 tournament. So, we’ll see a new champion crowned in a few weeks’ time. At the moment, France, Argentina, and Spain are the three favorites in the 16-team field.
It’s not a coincidence that they’re the only three teams in the tournament to previously win a gold medal. Still, a few surprises could be in store, especially given that the tournament is U-23, with three overage players allowed on each team and each team can only carry 18 players. We’ll go group-by-group and preview the 2024 Men’s Olympic soccer outrights.
Group A
Hosts France are +225 favorites to win the tournament and deservedly so. Their roster could be competitive in a senior tournament, let alone a U-23 competition. French legend Thierry Henry has called up Alexandre Lacazette, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Loic Bade as his three overage players.
Mateta lit up the Premier League once Oliver Glasner took over Crystal Palace in February and Lacazette is also a proven goalscorer. Mateta’s former club teammate Michael Olise is another big name on the roster, along with RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba.
Goalkeeper Guillaume Restes, still only 19, started all 34 Ligue 1 games for Toulouse last season. France take on the USA, Guinea, and New Zealand on the Paris Olympics schedule.
The spine of the USA’s team is quite good, with Columbus Crew keeper Patrick Schulte, overage defenders Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman, and Venezia midfielders Tanner Tessman and Gianluca Busio.
- However, their lack of a top-level goalscorer could hurt them. USA comes in at +2200 odds to win their first Men’s Olympic soccer gold medal.
Guinea’s captain is former Liverpool Champions League winner Naby Keita. Keita, Abdoulaye Toure, and Amadou Diawara are Guinea’s three overage players and they’re all midfielders.
While Guinea can compete in midfield, their defense is inexperienced and it’ll be a challenge to finish in the top two places in Group A to advance to the Quarter-Finals. The soccer olympics 2024 odds list Guinea at a +5000 price.
New Zealand shows the second-longest odds to win the gold medal, at +12500. While it’ll be a long uphill battle to reach the final, the Kiwis have some solid players and can get a result or two in the group stage. Striker Ben Waine has eight goals in 10 appearances for the U-23 national team.
Group B
Two-time gold medalists Argentina have one of the strongest rosters in the competition. Javier Mascherano has called up four World Cup winners to his squad, which includes goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, defender Nicolas Otamendi, midfielder Thiago Almada and striker Julian Alvarez.
- Rulli, Otamendi, and Alvarez just won Copa America with the senior side and Alvarez is a candidate for the Golden Boot. There’s talent across the board on this roster and the 2024 Men’s Olympic soccer outrights list Argentina at +260 odds to bring home gold.
Morocco, Iraq, and Ukraine are the other teams in a potentially tricky Group B. Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi might be the best player in the entire tournament, and the PSG right-back is set to make a big impact.
While Morocco doesn’t have the same level of talent as the tournament favorites, there are some promising players on the roster including Abde Ezzalzouli, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Amir Richardson, and Ilias Akhomach. Morocco displays the fourth-best odds to win the tournament, at +1000.
Ukraine’s senior side is disappointed with a group stage exit at the Euros and their U-23 team is in a difficult group in the Olympics.
They’re unbeaten in their last six games heading into the Olympics, though, and they have a shot to reach the Quarters. Ukraine sits at +2500 odds to win the gold medal.
Iraq managed to reach the Semifinals of the Olympics in 2004 but lost all three group games in their last appearance, in 2016. They do, however, have an intriguing overage player, in Aymen Hussein.
- Hussein scored in all three group games at the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year and gave Iraq’s U-23 side a lethal goalscorer. Even so, Iraq are +10000 longshot to win the Olympic Men’s soccer tournament.
Group C
- Spain (+275) have two holdovers from their Euro 2024 winning squad. Alex Baena and Fermin Lopez will join a squad that also includes Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi, Girona’s Eric Garcia, and Manchester City’s Sergio Gomez.
At Tokyo 2020, Spain was the silver medalist and they have the quality to go far, especially in a group with Uzbekistan, Egypt, and the Dominican Republic.
- The latest soccer lines price Egypt at a +2200 price to win the tournament. They’ve reached the Semifinals on two occasions and 2024’s roster is largely based at home.
Bettors may recognize Mohamed Elneny from his Arsenal days but the overage midfielder has played very little club football over the last couple of seasons.
Uzbekistan (+6600) shouldn’t be underestimated. In May, they reached the final of the U-23 AFC Asian Cup and narrowly fell 1-0 to Japan.
Senior team captain and striker Eldor Shomurodov will also captain the U-23 team. Plus, 2022 U-20 AFC Asian Cup MVP Abbosbek Fayzullaev is a winger to watch.
Dominican Republic is the biggest longshot in the Men’s Olympic field, at +25000 odds. Leeds United defender Junior Firpo is one of their overage players and winger Peter Gonzalez made a few appearances for Real Madrid as a teenager.
Group D
Group D has no powerhouse but Paraguay is the favorite to win the group. We aren’t confident in Paraguay, though, as the U-23 team has lost their last five matches. Brighton’s Julio Enciso took part in Copa America but isn’t on the Olympic roster. The 2024 Men’s Olympic soccer outrights list Paraguay at +2000 odds to win gold, though.
- Japan (+2200) declined to call up any players over the age of 23 and are going with their youth. Forward Mao Hosoya is one to watch, as he’s already scored 29 career goals for his club Kashiwa Reysol.
- Mali (+3300) has beaten both Japan and Uzbekistan in friendlies this year. Midfielders Issouf Sissoko and Boubacar Traore should be key for the African side but scoring could prove challenging for them.
Israel’s U-21 side reached the Semifinals of the Euros last year and their Olympic roster includes a bunch of those players. Roy Revivo, Oscar Gloukh, Dor Turgemann, and Omri Gandelmann all played key roles in that run and they’re on the roster.
Gloukh, a midfielder, is Israel’s player to watch as he had a breakout campaign for RB Salzburg this season. Heading into the Men’s Olympic soccer tournament, Israel is priced at +4000 odds to win the gold medal.
For Olympic Games news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
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