The Olympic men's soccer knockout round bracket is set after the final eight group play matches.
This tournament has been full of upsets, and it's reflected in the teams that are advancing. The Ivory Coast is moving on over Germany, and Egypt bested Argentina in Group C. Unlike on the women's side, only two teams advanced from each group.
The quarterfinals will begin Saturday morning in the Eastern Time Zone with Spain vs. Ivory Coast, Japan vs. New Zealand, Brazil vs. Egypt and South Korea vs. Mexico.
Here's everything you need to know about men's soccer at the Olympics.
Olympic Men's Soccer Bracket
All times ET.
Quarterfinals: Saturday, July 31
Game 1: Spain vs. Ivory Coast — 4 a.m.
Game 2: Japan vs. New Zealand — 5 a.m.
Game 3: Brazil vs. Egypt — 6 a.m.
Game 4: South Korea vs. Mexico — 7 a.m.
Semifinals: Tuesday, Aug. 3
Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner — 4 a.m.
Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner — 7 a.m.
Medal matches
Aug. 6
Bronze medal match — 7 a.m.
Aug. 7
Gold medal match — 7:30 a.m.
Olympic Men's Soccer Schedule & Results
All times ET.
Thursday
| Match | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Egypt 0, Spain 0 | 3:30 a.m. | Olympic Channel |
| Mexico 4, France 1 | 4 a.m. | USA |
| New Zealand 1, South Korea 0 | 4:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Ivory Coast 2, Saudi Arabia 1 | 4:30 a.m. | Olympic Channel |
| Australia 2, Argentina 0 | 6:30 a.m. | Olympic Channel |
| Romania 1, Honduras 0 | 7 a.m. | Olympic Channel |
| Japan 1, South Africa 0 | 7 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Brazil 4, Germany 2 | 7:30 a.m. | USA |
Sunday
| Match | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina 1, Egypt 0 | 3:30 a.m. | Telemundo |
| France 4, South Africa 3 | 4 a.m. | N/A |
| Honduras 3, New Zealand 2 | 4 a.m. | Universo |
| Brazil 0, Ivory Coast 0 | 4:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Spain 1, Australia 0 | 6:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| South Korea 4, Romania 0 | 7 a.m. | N/A |
| Japan 2, Mexico 1 | 7 a.m. | NBCSN (at 8:30) |
| Germany 3, Saudi Arabia 2 | 7:30 a.m. | N/A |
Wednesday, July 28
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil 3, Saudi Arabia 1 | 4 a.m. | Universo |
| Germany 1, Ivory Coast 1 | 4 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Romania 0, New Zealand 0 | 4:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| South Korea 6, Honduras 0 | 4:30 a.m. | Telemundo |
| Spain 1, Argentina 1 | 7 a.m. | Universo |
| Egypt 2, Australia 0 | 7 a.m. | N/A |
| Japan 4, France 0 | 7:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| South Africa vs. Mexico | 7:30 a.m. | Telemundo |
Olympic Men's Soccer Group Standings
The group setup for men's Olympic soccer is pretty straightforward (unlike the women's side or European Championship). It features four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
Group A
| Team | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 9 | 6 |
| Mexico | 3 | 2 |
| France | 3 | -6 |
| South Africa | 0 | -5 |
Japan continued its dominance in this tournament with a 4-0 win over France, who was favored to win the group before play began. Mexico leads South Africa 3-0 in the second half and will advance, as well.
Group B
| Team | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 6 | 9 |
| New Zealand | 4 | 0 |
| Romania | 4 | -3 |
| Honduras | 3 | -6 |
New Zealand advanced thanks to a better goal differential despite drawing with Romania in the final match of group play. South Korea, the group favorite entering the tournament, blew our Honduras to secure its spot.
Group C
| Team | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 5 | 1 |
| Egypt | 4 | 1 |
| Argentina | 4 | -1 |
| Australia | 3 | -1 |
Egypt is a surprise advance from this group. It bested Australia 2-0 in the final match of group play to tie Argentina with four points, and it had the tiebreaker at +1 in goal differential to get through.
Spain didn't look great in the group stage but did enough to win the group.
Group D
| Team | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 7 | 4 |
| Ivory Coast | 5 | 1 |
| Germany | 4 | -1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | -4 |
The Ivory Coast, a darkhorse entering the tournament, clawed its way to a draw against Germany to advance. Brazil, among the favorites before and throughout the tournament, cruised to a 3-1 win over Saudi Arabia.
Olympic Men's Soccer Odds
Odds as of Tuesday and via Bet365.
| Team | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | +188 | 34.8% |
| Spain | +200 | 33.3% |
| Japan | +800 | 11.1% |
| Mexico | +1100 | 8.3% |
| Germany | +1200 | 7.7% |
| France | +1600 | 5.9% |
| Argentina | +1600 | 5.9% |
| South Korea | +1600 | 5.9% |
| Ivory Coast | +5000 | 2.0% |
| Romania | +10000 | 1.0% |
| Honduras | +10000 | 1.0% |
| Australia | +10000 | 1..0% |
| New Zealand | +15000 | 0.7% |
| Egypt | +20000 | 0.5% |
| South Africa | +50000 | 0.2% |
| Saudi Arabia | N/A | N/A |
Roster Format
The Olympics are designed to not overshadow the World Cup, so they feature just 16 teams instead of the 32-team expanded field we see every four years in the World Cup.
The rosters are also limited to mostly players under 23 years old, with each team getting three overage exemptions. Domestic clubs are also not required to release players to their national teams for the Olympics, so you won't see most of the big names in this tournament (even though all major European clubs are in their offseasons right now).
