2024-03-20 19:47:00
The Israeli soccer team was drawn this evening (Wednesday) for the group stage of the Olympic tournament in Paris, along with Paraguay, Mali and the team that will reach first place in the Olympic qualifiers in Asia. This is the first appearance of an Israeli soccer team in the Olympics since Montreal 1976.
The joining of the Asian team can trigger a diplomatic incident if it is a team such as Iran, Qatar, or another hostile country to Israel, which may choose to boycott Israel.
The men’s Olympic soccer tournament differs from the other Olympic disciplines in that it is limited to players up to the age of 23, plus three older players. As you may remember, last July Israel’s youth team secured its place in the Paris Olympics by reaching the semi-finals of the European Championship for teams up to the age of 21.
The players of the Israeli national team under the age of 21 celebrate the victory over Georgia in the Euro quarterfinals (photo: reuters)
Israel plays in the fourth tier (out of 4), but since this will be the first appearance of the young team at the Olympics in its current format, Israel avoided a meeting with a European team, and despite the preferred teams at home, the young men in blue and white can surprise.
The soccer tournament will take place on July 24 to August 9. The first two in each house will advance to the quarterfinals. The games will be held in 7 different cities: Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Saint Etienne, Nice, Nantes and of course Paris.
The division of houses:
House A: France, United States, Africa/Asia playoff winner, New Zealand.
House B: Argentina, Morocco, 3rd place in Asia, Ukraine.
Third house: Asian runner-up in the qualifiers, Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic.
Fourth house: Asian champion in the qualifiers, Paraguay, Mali, Israel.
The full group stage schedule:
July 24, 22:00, Parc de France, Paris: Mali – Israel
July 27, 20:00, Parc de France, Paris: Paraguay – Israel
July 30, 22:00, Stade de la Beaujolais, Nantes: Israel – Asian champion
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