After the English football team lost yet another Euro Championship final, everyone is asking themselves why there isn’t an England Olympics football team. We are definitely not going to see England or Great Britain compete neither in the Olympic football tournaments.
But what if they did? What would a British Olympic football team look like? With so many footballers coming from Scotland, Wales, and especially England, Britain would be able to create one of the strongest teams that would easily win gold at the Olympics.
How Do Football Teams Qualify for the Olympics?
16 football nations usually compete at the Olympics, with Europe being granted three spots. Each governing organisation needs to organise their own qualification tournaments to determine the nations that will qualify for the Olympics.
But the main and most important rule is the age limit. Managers can create teams consisting of under 23 players. But they can also bring three players that are aged over the limit. That is the main reason why we don’t see big names like Lionel Messi at the Olympics.
The History of England Olympics Football
The United Kingdom is actually the winningest nation when it comes to Olympic football. They have three gold medals, which is more than any other nation was able to win. They won their first at the inaugural 1900 Olympics and then won two more in 1908 and 1912.
However, since 1960 Great Britain has competed only once at the Olympics. It was during the 2012 London Olympics when team Great Britain sent a team composed of only English and Welsh players. With Scottish players refusing to participate.
The reason why we don’t see team Great Britain or the UK Olympics football team is due to a simple reason. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all have separate teams with which they compete in both UEFA and FIFA competitions. Rumours say that all of those nations don’t want to risk their FIFA football independence by forming a team with England.
A Potential England Football Olympics Team
So if England decided to go to the Olympics all of its own, which players would we be seeing wearing the Three Lions Olympic team shirt? Without a doubt, absentees from Euro 2024, like Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, and Jack Grealish, would be the number one over-the-age options to go.
Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton would also be a nice addition, being that he didn’t play a minute during the Euros. Anthony Gordon would also be a nice addition, being that he qualifies per age limit.
Burnley’s James Trafford will be the first goalkeeper option. In the defence, Levi Colwill, Rico Lewis, Jarell Quansah, and Jarrad Branthwaite are standout options. Also, the Liverpool duo consisting of Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, previously cut from England’s Euro provisional squad, will be holding the midfield. Alongside Man Utd’s Kobbie Mainoo, who also qualifies.
What do you think? Could this Olympic England football team go far in Paris? Or would they suffer the same faith as the team that lost two European finals in a row?
