Football at the 1984 Summer Olympics

The Soviet-led boycott by the Eastern Bloc nations severely affected the 1984 football tournament. Sixteen (16) teams qualified, as had been the case since 1956, but three withdrew in support of the boycott and were replaced by lower-qualifying teams. The teams faced the now standard Olympic format, with the 16 teams separated into four four-team groups, that played a round-robin to determine the top two teams in each group, who advanced to the quarter-finals and the knock-out phase.

The matches were held at four stadia in the United States, which were the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California; Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California; Harvard Stadium in Allston, Massachusetts; and the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. This selection made it the most widespread event in Olympic history, as it was about 2,580 miles (4,155 km) from the Rose Bowl to Harvard Stadium.

The 16 original qualifiers were as follows – the United States as the host nation; Czechoslovakia as the defending champion; four teams from a UEFA (Europe) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (France, German Democratic Republic (GDR) [East], Soviet Union, Yugoslavia); three teams from a CAF (Africa) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Cameroon, Egypt, Morocco); three teams from an AFC (Asia) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar); two teams from a CONCACAF (North & Central America/Caribbean) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Canada, Costa Rica); and two teams from a CONMEBOL (South America) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Brazil, Chile).

Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and the Soviet Union withdrew. Italy, which had been third in UEFA Group 3, replaced Czechoslovakia. Norway replaced East Germany after placing third in Group 2 at the UEFA tournament (Poland had placed second but also boycotted). The German Federal Republic (FRG) (West) replaced the Soviet Union. They had been second in Group 4 at the UEFA tournament. Hungary and Bulgaria were eligible before West Germany, but they were also boycotting.

France won the gold medal by defeating Brazil, 2-0, in the final, with Yugoslavia defeating Italy, 2-1, for the bronze medal.