Group D at the 2024 Olympic Men’s Tournament has a pace car with the rest of the field hoping to keep up. Japan, Paraguay, Mali, and Israel will battle to see who can emerge from the group with a chance to go for a medal.
Japan is the team that has some recent success at the Olympics, while the other teams have had lengthy absences from the Olympic Games. This could be the group where vibes dominate, but each of these teams can play some soccer and will make for some stark contrasts on the field. Group D will be one to keep an eye on as goal differential could determine who moves on and who goes home.
Schedule
Wednesday, July 24th
Japan vs. Paraguay
Mali vs. Israel
Saturday, July 27th
Israel vs. Paraguay
Japan vs. Mali
Tuesday, July 30th
Israel vs. Japan
Paraguay vs. Mali
Japan
Japan returns to the Olympics for the eighth straight time, and they hope to finally make the podium. They finished fourth in Tokyo 2020 and London 2012, falling agonizingly short of a medal. They come to France knowing they have what it takes to win the tournament or otherwise leave Paris with a medal, but they need to be the technically sound team they’ve always been, free of mistakes.
Odds of Winning Group: Clear Favorites
One to Watch: Midfielder Shunsuke Mito moved to Sparta Rotterdam earlier this year and has already shown some promise. This could be his time.
Paraguay
Paraguay is back in the Olympics for the first time since 2004, where they left Athens with the silver medal and the thought that the future of the program was bright. They have stumbled upon some tough times, but they are now back on the stage and looking to make a new name for themselves. They have rebuilt their youth teams in the hopes that they can use the Olympics as a chance to reintroduce the football of La Albirroja to the world. Paraguay is ready to challenge all comers and hope that when the dust settles, they have recreated the magic of Athens 2004.
Odds of Winning Group: Dark Horse
One to Watch: Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gómez is ready to represent on the international stage.
Mali
Mali is also back in the Olympics for the first time since Athens 2004, which was their only appearance to date in the tournament. They qualified by finishing third at the U-23 African Cup of Nations. They have an interesting style of play where they can play tough but really want to open up play and get guys moving forward. It will be interesting to see how that works in a tournament where you can only have 18 players and almost everyone is playing every three days. If they don’t tire out, they hope to pick off a result or two to give themselves a chance at the knockout stage.
Odds of Winning Group: Needs Help
One to Watch: Defender Ibrahima Cissé is hoping to bring his German experience to the Olympics and help hold down the back line.
Israel
Israel is back in the Olympics for the first time since Montreal 1976, and they almost didn’t make it into this tournament. FIFA recently delayed a hearing to determine whether Israel should be suspended from international football until after the Olympics, giving this team who earned their trip a chance to represent under the Olympic rings. Now that they’re here, they’re hoping they can play the same tough-minded soccer that has been successful recently, but they are looking to play as well as they can and hope they have enough to make it through to the knockout stage. There, they feel confident about their chances of getting to the medal rounds.
Odds of Winning Group: Needs Help
One to Watch: Charlotte FC winger Liel Abada has played for Celtic and could be poised for a breakthrough tournament.
Who will advance from Group D? What matches are most interesting to you? Let us know in the comments.
