History
Soccer was supposed to be on the program for the first modern Olympics in 1896, but it was cancelled because no teams entered, although some players showed up.
The sport officially entered the Olympics in 1900 and it's been on the program ever since.
The Olympic stand against professionalism led directly to the creation of soccer's World Cup tournament. After several countries withdrew from the 1928 Olympic tournament because their professionals weren't allowed to play, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) decided to hold its own quadrennial world championship, beginning in 1929.
In 1984, the International Olympic Committee decided to allow professionals to compete, but only if they hadn't taken part in World Cup play, which still left out most of the world's best players. The rule was amended in 1992 to allow professional players under 23 years of age in the Olympics. Since 1996, each team has been allowed to have three professional players over 22.
Women's soccer was added to the Olympic program in 1996.
Sixteen men's teams qualify for the Olympic tournament. They're divided into four pools, each with its own round robin tournament. The top two teams from each pool then enter a single-elimination tournament.
The women's tournament is similarly structured, except that there are only eight teams and two preliminary pools.
From 1900 through 1906, a simple round robin tournament determined the championship. For those years, the record of the gold meal team is shown. Since 1908, the score of the gold medal championship is shown.