Five Paris Olympics storylines to know from security to Simone Biles
The Paris Olympics are fast approaching. Here’s what you need to know about the first post-pandemic Games.
The 2024 Paris Olympics soft launch on-field action today, with eight men’s soccer matches and 12 men’s rugby sevens matches. The U.S. men’s national teams for soccer and rugby play, the USMNT facing host France and the U.S. men’s rugby sevens team lining up for two matches.
Elsewhere, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team has podium training, and the U.S. men’s basketball team practices ahead of their first game Sunday.
USA TODAY Sports will bring you live results, medal count, highlights,and more throughout the day. Follow along.
Olympic schedule today
There are eight soccer matches and 12 rugby sevens matches. The U.S. men’s national soccer team plays host France at 3 p.m. ET. The U.S. men’s rugby sevens team has two matches: against France (10:30 a.m.) and against Fiji (2:30 p.m.).
Medal count today
Our 2024 Paris Olympics medal count tracker updates after every single medal event. The first medals can be won on Saturday.
Olympics on TV today
NBC is airing and streaming the Paris Olympics from all angles: Peacock is streaming every sport and event live as it unfolds; NBC, USA Network, CNBC and E! are carrying various live events and replays throughout the day. Here are 6 tips and tricks for getting the most out of Peacock during the Olympics.
Olympic soccer games today
Here’s the schedule for Wednesday’s men’s soccer games.
9 a.m.
- Group B: Argentina vs. Morocco
- Group C: Spain 2, Uzbekistan 1
11 p.m.
- Group A: Guinea vs. New Zealand
- Group C: Egypt vs. Dominican Republic
1 p.m.
- Group B: Iraq vs. Ukraine
- Group D: Japan vs. Paraguay
3 p.m.
- Group A: France vs. United States
- Group D: Mali vs. Israel
Spain made Sergio Gomez’s tiebreaking goal hold up and comes away with the 2-1 win in its opener.
Uzbekistan nearly got the equalizer from Khusniddin Alikulov, who fired a kick just over the crossbar in the 81st minute.
Trailing France 12-7 five minutes into the second half, Team USA got a score by Marcus Tupuola to tie things up. The U.S. had a chance to break the 12-12 tie, but Madison Hughes’ conversion failed.
Team USA plays Fuji later at 2:30 p.m. ET.
The United States will top the Paris Olympics medal table and host France will almost double its haul from 2021, according to a projection from data and analytics company Nielsen.
Nielsen said that based on its Gracenote results data from key global and continental competitions since Tokyo three years ago Team USA would be top of its virtual medal table for eighth consecutive summer Games.
It said the US would win 112 medals, one less than in 2021, and that 37 golds would also be the top mark, with almost half the haul from athletics and swimming.
China is to follow again with 86 medals, down three, with 34 of them gold in Paris. — Reuters
Argentina is on the board after Giuliano Simeone scored on an assist by Julio Soler. Argentina’s first goal came in the 68th minute and is one of only two shots on goal so far.
Team USA holds a 7-5 lead after one half in its men’s rugby sevens matchup against France. Lucas Lacamp scored just before the end of the half with Steve Tomasin following with a conversion.
France scored 3:07 into the first half, but missed on the conversion.
Olympic Rugby schedule today
- Australia 21, Samoa 14 (Pool B)
- Argentina 31, Kenya 12 (Pool B)
- 10:30 a.m.: France vs. United States (Pool C)
- 11 a.m.: Fiji vs. Uruguay (Pool C)
- 11:30 a.m.: Ireland vs. South Africa (Pool A)
- Noon: New Zealand vs. Japan (Pool A)
- 1 p.m.: Australia vs. Kenya (Pool B)
- 1:30 p.m.: Argentina vs. Samoa (Pool B)
- 2 p.m.: France vs. Uruguay (Pool C)
- 2:30 p.m.: Fiji vs. United States (Pool C)
- 3 p.m.: Ireland vs. Japan (Pool A)
- 3:30 p.m.: New Zealand vs. South Africa (Pool A)
Argentina won the second men’s rugby sevens matchup, overcoming an early 7-0 deficit with an explosive second half that resulted in a 31-12 victory.
The United States gets to cheer on its first team at the Paris Games, as the men’s rugby sevens squad takes on host country France next.
Sergio Gomez scored on an assist by Juan Miranda to snap a tie and give Spain a 2-1 lead in the 62nd minute. It was Gomez’s third shot on goal.
Morocco scored another goal on another Soufiane Rahimi penalty kick against Argentina. The goal came in the 49th minute and gave Morocco a 2-0 lead. Argentina has yet to get a shot on goal.
After falling behind 7-0, Australia scored 21 unanswered points and held on for a 21-14 victory against Samoa in a men’s Pool B matchup.
Argentina vs. Kenya are next up, while the United States will take on France at 10:30 a.m. ET. There are 12 total men’s rugby sevens matchups lined up for today.
Just before the end of the first half, Morocco got on the board against Argentina. Soufiane Rahimi scored in the 45th minute. It was the first shot on goal by either team.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan has evened the score against Spain after a penalty kick by Eldor Shomurodov in the 45th minute. The teams go into halftime tied up at 1-1.
Australia and Samoa are getting ready to start the second half of their men’s rugby sevens matchup, the first of the Paris Games. The two teams are locked up in a 7-7 tie after Australia dug out of a 7-0 hole.
Argentina and Morocco are battling it out in their Group B opener. The two squads are relying on defense to keep their opponent away from the net, as neither team has a shot on goal after 39 minutes.
Spain struck first during its Group C opener against Uzbekistan. Marc Pubill scored off a feed from Abell Ruiz in the 29th minute. It’s the first goal of these Olympics and gets Spain on the board with a 1-0 lead.
No. The global star from Argentina is sitting out the Paris Games after just completing Copa America, during which Argentina beat Colombia in extra time and Messi was injured. Messi won a gold medal with Argentina at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The Argentina-Morocco and Uzbekistan-Spain men’s soccer games have started, and so have these 2024 Paris Olympics.
The U.S. men’s national soccer team plays France at 3 p.m. ET.
NBC will air the match live, along with Peacock.
Though some of the best USMNT players are still age-eligible for the Olympics, it’s hard to get clubs to let their stars go to a tournament where they might get hurt and almost certainly would miss some of the preseason.
But the Olympics could provide some invaluable experience for some of the USMNT’s stars-in-the-making. Gianluca Busio and Tanner Tessmann, who led Venezia to promotion to Serie A in Italy, are on the roster. So is Kevin Paredes, U.S. Soccer’s Young Male Player of the Year last year, and goalkeeper-of-the-future, Gaga Slonina. — Nancy Armour