The Olympic football tournament gets underway next week
Brazil celebrate their 2016 Olympic gold medal win in Rio(Image credit: Getty Images)
Just in case Euro 2024 and the Copa America weren't enough for us over the past month or so, us football fans will be blessed by a third tournament this summer.
The Paris Olympics are about to get underway, with the football competition kicking off proceedings on Wednesday, July 24. The men's tournament is an under-23s competition that will see 16 countries compete for the gold medal, which will awarded at the Parcs des Princes on August 9.
Brazil have won the past two tournaments and will be looking to become the first-ever nation to win three in a row over the next few weeks. But how does the tournament work and will extra time be played?
VIDEO Why England Just Lost The Euro 2024 Final
Is extra time played at the Olympics?
The men's Olympic tournament features 16 teams that have been put into four groups of four. The top two from each group will then qualify for the knockout rounds, which begin at the quarter-final stage.
The group stage works as you'd expect, so teams can draw there, meaning extra time is not a consideration.
But when you get to knockouts, games will go to extra time and then penalties if required in order to find a winner.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Mexico celebrate winning the gold medal at the London 2012 Games (Image credit: Getty Images)
As well as the usual quarter-final, semi-final and final matches, there will also be a bronze medal match, where the two losing semi-finalists will take on each other in order to find out who gets that final spot on the podium when the medals are dished out.
The women's competition follows a similar format, although only 12 nations will be competing. That means they have been put into three groups, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals, plus the two best third-placed teams.
Again, extra time and penalties will be used in the knockout stages when the scores are level.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
