The key facts
- FIFA is considering allowing only players under 23 to compete in the women's Olympic tournament
- No official proposal has yet been submitted to the IOC; the rules for the 2028 Olympics have already been approved
- Women's Olympic football has had no age restrictions since 1996
FIFA discusses age limit for Olympic women's football
The international football federation is considering allowing only players under 23 to compete in the women's Olympic tournament. This was reported by The Guardian citing sources at FIFA and the International Olympic Committee. The main reason is the overloaded women's football calendar: in FIFA's view, players' constant participation in club and international tournaments creates an excessive workload, especially for national team leaders.
The changes will not affect the 2028 Games
No official proposal has yet been submitted to the IOC. According to the publication, both organizations are willing to discuss the initiative, but changing the rules will require consultations with players, national federations and other stakeholders. FIFA and IOC representatives declined to officially comment on the possible change.
What will change and who will be affected
The eligibility rules for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles have already been approved, and qualifying has begun in some regions, so the innovations will not affect it: an age limit could appear no earlier than the 2032 Games in Brisbane, Australia. Currently, women's Olympic football has no age restrictions — this system has been in place since the discipline debuted at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. The men's tournament, by contrast, has featured mainly under-23 players since 1992, with each squad allowed to include three older players.
Contradiction in FIFA's position
Introducing a similar restriction for women could provoke discontent among leading players: the Olympics remains one of the main tournaments in women's football, and its popularity matters to the IOC. At the 2028 Games, the number of women's teams will increase to 16, while only 12 teams will compete in the men's tournament. Moreover, FIFA itself is adding to the calendar burden: in January 2028 it plans to hold the first women's Club World Cup with 16 teams — just six months before the Olympics, which could seriously affect the schedule of European domestic leagues.
