Fans are only just realising why Team GB don't have a football team at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Team GB will not have a football team playing in either the men's and women's competitions at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The football events get underway on Wednesday, prior to the official opening ceremony in order to fit in all of the matches before next month's closing ceremony.

In the men's competition, favourites France and Argentina are among those in action, facing Morocco and the United States respectively. Spain are also playing on Wednesday, taking on Uzbekistan.

In the women's competition, meanwhile, world champions Spain, France and the United States are the leading contenders to win gold.

While looking through the schedules, fans will no doubt have noticed that Team GB do not feature in either event.

On the women's side, there is a simple explanation - they didn't qualify for the tournament.

England were nominated as the team that would represent Team GB in the event, with Sarina Wiegman's side needing to win their Nations League group and then reach the final of the four-team final competition.

However, they failed to finish top of their group.

Getty

They thrashed Scotland 6-0 in their final match in March, but missed out on top spot to the Netherlands who beat Belgium 4-0 in their concluding fixture.

The lack of a men's side participating at the Olympics is more of a complex matter.

Fans may remember how a Team GB side, captained by Ryan Giggs and featuring the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards, competed at London 2012.

But that was the first time they took part in a men's Olympic football tournament since 1972 - and they haven't done so since.

Getty

At the heart of the original issue was the FA's decision to stop recognising any difference between professional and amateur players, in terms of how they were registered.

The Team GB Olympic team had previously been made up of solely amateur players, with the decision subsequently being made by the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) to allow professionals to compete.

Nowadays, the issue is now related to FIFA and the quartet of Home Nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

All four nations need to agree to allow their players to feature in order for Team GB to have an Olympic team.

The process for the women's tournament, as you may have worked out, is different because only one of the four nations is nominated to field a team.

The reason behind the dispute is that Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are all said to be concerned that allowing their players to compete would risk their independence in the eyes of FIFA - though there is no indication that the governing body would take any action in that event.

But FIFA will only accept a Team GB entry if all four member nations agree to allow players to take part.

In 2012, the associations of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales had no direct involvement in the team, although could not prevent their players from taking part in London.