As men’s football at the Paris Olympics approaches the gold medal game, memories are cast back to Olympic finals from previous years,
Just as they did at Euro 2024 earlier in the summer, it is Spain who have made the Olympics final in 2024, as they face off against Thierry Henry’s France for the right to be crowned as gold medal winner at the Paris Games.
With the men’s football teams made up of players aged under 23, the Olympics final represents many young first opportunity to experience tournament glory, while the three qualifying ‘overage’ players on each team may view it as their final chance to be crowned an Olympic gold champion.
In total, there have been 19 nations that have won Olympic gold for football, but who has won it the most? And how many times have Team GB won gold for Olympic men’s football?
Here is the full list of each nation to win gold in Olympics football - including every Team GB win.
17. Argentina - 2 (2004, 2008)
Argentina won back-to-back Olympic golds for football in the mid-00s, first beating Paraguay at Athens 2004, before a team featuring Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Mario defeated Nigeria at the Beijing Games of 2008. | Getty Images
18. Hungary - 3 (1952, 1964, 1968)
Only two nations have won Olympic gold for men's football more than one. Hungary are one of them, taking gold at Helsinki 1952, Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968, beating Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria respectively in each final. | AFP via Getty Images
19. Team GB - 3 (1900, 1908, 1912)
Believe it or not, despite not having a men's Olympic football team since London 2012, Team GB are actually the young most successful men's Olympic football team ever. It has been over a century since their last Olympic gold, however, they became the inaugural winners of the competition at Paris 1900 when they defeated France, before winning both the London 1908 and Stockholm 1912 Games when they beat Denmark in back-to-back finals. | Getty Images