Why doesn’t England participate in the men’s or women’s Olympic soccer tournament?

The Olympic Games are back after three years, and sports fans will enjoy 19 days of competitions packed with the best athletes.

One of the sports that always attracts attention at the Olympic Games is soccer, which started before today’s opening ceremony. However, it may come as a surprise that England, the current European Under-21 champions, will not compete in this edition of the Olympics.

According to the rules, the English squad qualified for the next Olympic Games after beating Spain 1-0 in the final with a goal from Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones. However, Spain, Ukraine, and Israel will be Europe’s representatives, along with hosts France, in the football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games, while the champions will not be present.

Why is England not playing in the 2024 Olympics soccer competition?

The reason is that the four countries which form the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) don’t want to risk their independence when competing in international soccer events. In the International Olympic Committee (IOC), UK nations are registered together as Team GB, unlike UEFA and FIFA, where each UK country has its own soccer association.

These countries fear their future involvement as separated nations in UEFA and FIFA tournaments if they participate in the Olympic Games soccer competition as Team GB. Besides, the possible tensions raised by how many players from each nation should compose the team and with the Premier League about releasing players in August doesn’t help the situation.

Only one exception has existed since the modern Olympic Games began in Athens in 1896, when Team GB participated in soccer: during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Team GB formed Group A with Senegal, Uruguay, and the United Arab Emirates. The squad comprised 13 English and 5 Welsh players, and despite qualifying first in the group, they were knocked out by South Korea in the quarterfinals.