Vadim Kostyuchenko: "Before our trip to France, our Olympic team will have two preparation stages"
From July 26 to August 11 in Paris, the Olympic Games will be held, in which for the first time in history the Ukraine national football team will participate.
Photo from fifa.com
"It's very pleasant that the Ukraine national team has made it among the 16 participants of the men's Olympic football tournament. This is a historic achievement for Rostyslav Rotan's team. Less than 200 days remain until the start of the tournament, which will begin on July 24, two days before the official opening. We already have an understanding of how our team will prepare for its debut at the Olympics. On March 25, they are expected to play a friendly match against one of the powerful Asian national teams. The final details with the organizers are being ironed out, and we will officially announce this soon. In June, Rostyslav Rotan's wards will participate in the U-23 tournament in France," — Vadim Kostiuchenko, first vice-president of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF), told the press.
As of today, 10 participants of the men's football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games are already known. They will compete from July 24 to August 9 in seven cities across France: Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Saint-Étienne, Nice, and Nantes. According to the regulations, players born after January 1, 2001 can participate in the tournament. Additionally, each team may include up to three players who are older than this age limit.
In total, 16 national teams will take part in the tournament: France as hosts, three teams representing Europe (Ukraine, Spain, Israel), three from Africa (Morocco, Egypt, Mali), three from Asia (to be announced in March 2024), two from South America (to be determined in February), two from the CONCACAF zone (USA, Dominican Republic), one from Oceania (New Zealand), and also joining them is the winner of a playoff between the fourth-placed teams from Africa (Guinea) and Asia.
The format of the Olympic tournament is traditional: competition in four groups with four teams each, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place match, and final (August 9, Paris, "Parc des Princes").