Paris 2024 football: Messi-less Argentina eye men's gold

Paris Olympics 2024 will be underway with football matches today, starting before the opening ceremony on July 26. 

World Champions Argentina will be in action on day one as they take on Morocco in the opening match, starting at 7pm (Bangladesh Time)

Argentina have won all three matches that have been played between the two teams. 

Argentina, despite being without talisman Lionel Messi, are considered to stand a good chance of winning a record-equaling third men's football gold medal.

Argentina head coach Javier Mascherano, who won gold as a player in 2004 and 2008, is aiming for glory, as he called up four World Cup winners to his squad, including striker Julian Alvarez and defender Nicolas Otamendi.

Olympic men's football is an under-23 tournament, but each team is allowed up to three overage players.

Messi, 37, who helped the South American side win gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will not play in the Paris edition, citing a heavy workload.

Clubs are not required to release their players to compete at the Olympic Games, as unlike other major international football tournaments, the Games take place outside the official FIFA international window.

The Olympic men's football tournament serves more as a platform for emerging talents rather than established stars, with traditional football powerhouses not necessarily being among the favorites.

Nigeria and Cameroon triumphed respectively in 1996 and 2000. In 2012, Mexico won gold in London with a team mostly comprising domestic players.

The past 20 years has seen the dominance of South American teams at this event, with Brazil and Argentina winning two golds each since 2004.

Brazil, back-to-back champions in 2016 and 2020, have failed to qualify for Paris, meaning Argentina can equal the record held by Hungary and Britain if they win their third Olympic gold.

Argentina have been drawn into Group B with Morocco, Iraq and Ukraine.

France and Spain, the other two favorites behind Argentina, play in Group A (with the United States, Guinea and New Zealand) and Group C (with the Dominican Republic, Egypt and Uzbekistan) respectively. Group D comprises Paraguay, Israel, Japan and Mali.

The final will be held on August 9 at Parc des Princes in Paris.