Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea stars to miss Paris 2024 - Olympic football qualification explained

The men's football event at Paris 2024 will take place without Brazil for the first time since the Olympics 2004 having been defeated by Argentina in qualification this week.

Brazil have won a men's football medal at the past four Olympics but will not fly to France this summer with qualification places hard to come by for the prestigious sporting event. That means some of the country's most promising youngsters won't exhibit their skills on the big stage, but Brazil aren't the only famous footballing nation not at the Olympics.

Team GB will once again not send a men's team with England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland in disagreement, while the Lionesses have not qualified. That means some of the most loved Premier League stars won't be at Paris 2024, with age restrictions also limiting the participation of some players from countries already qualified

Why is there no Team GB football at Paris 2024?

Team GB will not be represented in the Olympics for football this year because the four home nations could not come to an agreement on a team. Team GB did not even attempt to qualify over concerns it could damage their image with FIFA and UEFA.

The Olympics are run by the International Olympic Committee rather than the footballing bodies but there exists some fear that a composite team comprising of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could risk independence at future FIFA and UEFA events. These worries are not new.

There were fewer tensions for the women's side of Paris 2024 with England's Lionesses nominated to play as Team GB at the 2024 Olympics. That decision came because Sarina Wiegman's side are ranked higher than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Usually, Olympic qualification for European women's teams is decided using the World Cup but this year the focus is on the Women's Nations League with the two finalists going to the Olympics. England missed out on qualification last year and so it will be hosts France (who automatically qualify) alongside Germany, Spain or the Netherlands who take the spots.

Which football teams will take part in the Paris Olympics?

Paris 2024 will see four groups of four teams take part in the Olympics, meaning there is space for a grand total of 16 nations to take part. The top two from each Group Stage go into the quarter-finals and the knockout stages begin.

In the men's side of the Olympics, the places are outlined by Paris 2024 below.

• Africa: 3.5 quota places (a 4th place can be obtained through a play-off match against an Asian NOC) - tournament TBD.
• North, Central America and the Caribbean: 2 quota places defined through the Concacaf Under 20 Championship in Honduras (June 18th and July 4th, 2022): USA and Dominican Rep.
• South America: 2 quota places - tournament TBD.
• Asia: 3.5 quota places (a 4th place can be obtained through play-off match against an African NOC) - tournament TBD.
• Europe: 3 quota places - tournament TBD.
• Oceania: 1 quota place - tournament TBD.
• Host country (France): 1 quota place.

For the women's side of the Olympics, the places are outlined by Paris 2024 as below.

• Africa: 2 quota places - tournament TBD (to be decided).
• North, Central America and the Caribbean: 1 quota place decided through the Women's Concacaf Championship in Mexico (July 4th to 18th, 2022): USA. Canada lost the CONCACAF final and therefore have a playoff with Jamaica next year to book a spot at Paris 2024.
• South America: 2 quota places - Copa America femenina. Brazil and Colombia
• Asia: 2 quota places - tournament TBD.
• Europe: 2 quota places - UEFA Women’s Nations League (Autumn 2023 - Spring 2024). The two finalists earn a quota.
• Oceania: 1 quota place - tournament TBD.
• Host country (France): 1 quota place.

The men's teams qualified so far are - Argentina, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Israel, Mali, Morocco, New Zealand, Paraguay, Spain, Ukraine and the United States.

The women's teams qualified so far are - Brazil, Canada, Columbia, France and the United States.

Which Premier League stars could play at Paris 2024?

Which Premier League stars appear at Paris 2024 is more complicated than it may first appear. Each nation must only select three players over the age of 23 and the competition is due to finish on August 10, meaning that participants would miss pre-season preparations ahead of the Premier League start on August 17.

Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez is 23 and could feature for Argentina while Arsenal defender William Saliba will be 23 when the tournament starts and could play for France. Bournemouth defender Illya Zabarnyi could represent Ukraine - although some nations choose to send their under-23 squad rather than senior players.

The likes of Paraguayan Miguel Almiron, Egyptian Mohammed Salah and Spanish midfielder Rodri could all also be involved as older players in the squad.