Olympic soccer: All-time list of medal winners, who has won the most golds in football?

Author Photo
Soccer Neymar Brazil Rio Olympic 082016 DL 071824 リオ五輪 オリンピック サッカー ブラジル ネイマール
(Jiji Press)

The men's and women's football tournaments were among the first events to get going at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The action began on July 24 with Argentina vs. Morocco and Uzbekistan vs. Spain in the men's draw, with a full round of games taking two days before the opening ceremony in the French capital.

Brazil are the reigning men's champions but are not taking part this year, meaning we will see different players on top of the podium. In the women's event, Tokyo gold-medallists Canada are defending their title against main challengers the United States.

Who has won the most gold medals in Olympic football history? Which nations have claimed the most medals in total? All the details are below.

MORE: The full schedule and standings for the 2024 Olympics football tournaments

Who has won the most gold medals in Olympic football?

The most successful teams in men's football at the Olympics are two that are rarely seen in the summer Games these days.

Hungary and Great Britain have each won three gold medals each. Team GB won three of the first four tournaments from 1900 to 1912, while the Hungarians took gold in 1952, 1964, and 1968. Neither nation has medalled in men's football since Hungary claimed silver in 1972.

Reigning men's champions Brazil are one of four sides with two gold medals in their history, the others being Argentina, the Soviet Union, and Uruguay. Brazil's seven medals in total are the most of any nation, but they will not be adding to that haul this time around after failing to qualify for Paris.

In women's football, the United States are the dominant force. They have won four gold medals out of a possible seven since the women's event began in Atlanta in 1996. Germany, Norway, and Canada are the other women's champions.

Who has won the most medals in Olympics football?

In men's football, Brazil have won the most medals, with seven.

Men's Olympic football all-time list of medal winners

Nation Gold medals Silver medals Bronze medals Total medals
Brazil 2 3 1 7
Hungary 3 1 1 5
Soviet Union 2 0 3 5
Yugoslavia 1 3 1 5
Argentina 2 2 0 4
Spain 1 3 0 4
Denmark 0 3 1 4
Great Britain 3 0 0 3
Poland 1 2 0 3
East Germany 1 1 1 3
Nigeria 1 1 1 3
Italy 1 0 2 3
Sweden 1 0 2 3
Netherlands 0 0 3 3
Uruguay 2 0 0 2
Czechoslovakia 1 1 0 2
France 1 1 0 2
Mexico 1 0 1 2
Belgium 1 0 1 2
USA 0 1 1 2
Bulgaria 0 1 1 2
Canada 1 0 0 1
Cameroon 1 0 0 1
Germany 0 1 0 1
Switzerland 0 1 0 1
Austria 0 1 0 1
Paraguay 0 1 0 1
Japan 0 0 1 1
Norway 0 0 1 1
United Team of Germany 0 0 1 1
West Germany 0 0 1 1
Ghana 0 0 1 1
Chile 0 0 1 1
South Korea 0 0 1 1

For the women, USA's five medals is a record haul.

Women's Olympic football all-time list of medal winners

Nation Gold medals Silver medals Bronze medals Total medals
USA 4 1 1 6
Germany 1 0 3 4
Canada 1 0 2 3
Norway 1 0 1 2
Brazil 0 2 0 2
Sweden 0 2 0 2
Japan 0 1 0 1
China 0 1 0 1

Olympic football champions by year of Games: Men

Year Host Gold  Silver  Bronze 
1900 Paris, France Great Britain France Belgium
1904 St. Louis, United States Canada United States None awarded
1908 London, United Kingdom Great Britain Denmark Netherlands
1912 Stockholm, Sweden Great Britain Denmark Netherlands
1920 Antwerp, Belgium Belgium Spain Netherlands
1924 Paris, France Uruguay Switzerland Sweden
1928 Amsterdam, Netherlands Uruguay Argentina Italy
1936 Berlin, Germany Italy Austria Norway
1948 London, United Kingdom Sweden Yugoslavia Denmark
1952 Helsinki, Finland Hungary Yugoslavia Sweden
1956 Melbourne, Australia Soviet Union Yugoslavia Bulgaria
1960 Rome, Italy Soviet Union Yugoslavia Denmark
1964 Tokyo, Japan Hungary Czechoslovakia East Germany
1968 Mexico City, Mexico Hungary Bulgaria Japan
1972 Munich, West Germany Poland Hungary Soviet Union
1976 Montreal, Canada East Germany Poland Soviet Union
1980 Moscow, Soviet Union Czechoslovakia East Germany Soviet Union
1984 Los Angeles, United States France Brazil Yugoslavia
1988 Seoul, South Korea Soviet Union Brazil West Germany
1992 Barcelona, Spain Spain Poland Ghana
1996 Atlanta, United States Nigeria Argentina Brazil
2000 Sydney, Australia Cameroon Spain Chile
2004 Athens, Greece Argentina Paraguay Italy
2008 Beijing, China Argentina Nigeria Brazil
2012 London, United Kingdom Mexico Brazil South Korea
2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil Germany Nigeria
2020 Tokyo, Japan Brazil Spain Mexico

Olympic football champions by year of Games: Women

Year Host Gold  Silver  Bronze 
1996 Atlanta, United States USA China Norway
2000 Sydney, Australia Norway USA Germany
2004 Athens, Greece USA Brazil Germany
2008 Beijing, China USA Brazil Germany
2012 London, United Kingdom USA Japan Canada
2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Germany Sweden Canada
2020 Tokyo, Japan Canada Sweden USA
Author(s)
Author Photo
Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News.
LATEST VIDEOS