Since the 1992 tournament, male squads have been required to consist of players under 23 years old; since the 1996 tournament, a maximum of three players over the age of 23 have been allowed per squad.
This is a list of all-time overage players (also known as wild card players in some countries) in Olympic football since the 1996 tournament.
Overage players rules in Olympic football have influenced other competitions like Asian Games football, Pan American Games football, and African Games football.
Africa (CAF)
editAlgeria
editOverage players of Algeria national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdelghani Demmou (DF) | Sofiane Bendebka (MF) | Baghdad Bounedjah (FW) |
Cameroon
editOverage players of Cameroon national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serge Mimpo (DF) | Patrick M'Boma (FW) | did not select | |
| Antonio Ghomsi (DF) | Gustave Bebbe (FW) | did not select |
Egypt
editOverage players of Egypt national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmed Fathy (DF) | Mohamed Aboutrika (MF) | Emad Moteab (FW) | |
| Mohamed El Shenawy (GK) | Ahmed Hegazi (DF) | Mahmoud Hamdy (DF) | |
| Mohamed Elneny (MF) | Zizo (MF) | did not select |
Gabon
editOverage players of Gabon national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Didier Ovono (GK) | Bruno Ecuele Manga (DF) | did not select |
Ghana
editOverage players of Ghana national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Addo (DF) | did not select | ||
| Baffour Gyan (FW) | did not select | ||
Guinea
editOverage players of Guinea national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amadou Diawara (MF) | Naby Keïta (MF) | Abdoulaye Touré (MF) |
Ivory Coast
editOverage players of Ivory Coast national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| did not select | |||
| Eric Bailly (DF) | Franck Kessié (MF) | Max Gradel (FW) | |
Mali
editOverage players of Mali national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fousseiny Tangara (GK) | did not select | ||
| Salam Jiddou (MF) | Demba Diallo (FW) | did not select | |
Morocco
editOverage players of Morocco national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Houssaine Ouchla (DF) | Adel Chbouki (MF) | Salaheddine Bassir (FW) | |
| Nadir Lamyaghri (GK) | Otmane El Assas (MF) | Bouchaib El Moubarki (FW) | |
| Houssine Kharja (MF) | Nordin Amrabat (FW) | did not select | |
| Munir Mohamedi (GK) | Achraf Hakimi (DF) | Soufiane Rahimi (FW) |
Nigeria
editOverage players of Nigeria national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uche Okechukwu (DF) | Emmanuel Amunike (MF) | Daniel Amokachi (FW) | |
| Godwin Okpara (DF) | Garba Lawal (MF) | did not select | |
| Peter Odemwingie (FW) | did not select | ||
| Daniel Akpeyi (GK) | Mikel John Obi (MF) | did not select | |
Senegal
editOverage players of Senegal national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Papa Gueye (DF) | Mohamed Diamé (MF) | did not select |
South Africa
editOverage players of South Africa national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Baloyi (GK) | Dumisa Ngobe (MF) | did not select | |
| Itumeleng Khune (GK) | Eric Mathoho (DF) | did not select | |
| Ronwen Williams (GK) | did not select | ||
Tunisia
editOverage players of Tunisia national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chokri El Ouaer (GK) | did not select | ||
| Khaled Fadhel (GK) | José Clayton (DF) | Mohamed Jedidi (MF) | |
Asia (AFC)
editAustralia
editOverage players of Australia men's national under-23 soccer team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Horvat (MF) | Aurelio Vidmar (FW) | did not select | |
| Stan Lazaridis (MF) | Josip Skoko (MF) | Mark Viduka (FW) | |
| Craig Moore (DF) | Tim Cahill (MF) | John Aloisi (FW) | |
| Jade North (DF) | David Carney (MF) | Archie Thompson (FW) | |
| Mitchell Duke (FW) | did not select | ||
China
editOverage players of China national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Li Weifeng (DF) | Zheng Zhi (MF) | Han Peng (FW) |
Iraq
editOverage players of Iraq national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haidar Abdul-Jabar (DF) | Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail (MF) | Razzaq Farhan (FW) | |
| Ahmed Ibrahim (DF) | Saad Abdul-Amir (MF) | Hammadi Ahmed (FW) | |
| Saad Natiq (DF) | Ibrahim Bayesh (MF) | Aymen Hussein (FW) |
Japan
editOverage players of Japan national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| did not select | |||
| Seigo Narazaki (GK) | Ryuzo Morioka (DF) | Atsuhiro Miura (MF) | |
| Hitoshi Sogahata (GK) | Shinji Ono (MF) | did not select | |
| did not select | |||
| Maya Yoshida (DF) | Yūhei Tokunaga (DF) | did not select | |
| Hiroki Fujiharu (DF) | Tsukasa Shiotani (DF) | Shinzo Koroki (FW) | |
| Maya Yoshida (DF) | Hiroki Sakai (DF) | Wataru Endo (MF) | |
| did not select | |||
Kuwait
editOverage players of Kuwait national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamal Mubarak (DF) | Abdullah Wabran (DF) | Esam Sakeen (MF) |
Saudi Arabia
editOverage players of Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi (DF) | Fuad Anwar (MF) | Hamzah Idris Falatah (FW) | |
| Yasser Al-Shahrani (DF) | Salman Al-Faraj (MF) | Salem Al-Dawsari (MF) |
South Korea
editOverage players of South Korea national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Lim-saeng (DF) Lee Kyung-chun[a](DF) |
Ha Seok-ju (MF) | Hwang Sun-hong (FW) | |
| Kang Chul (DF) | Kim Sang-sik (DF) | Kim Do-hoon (FW) | |
| Yoo Sang-chul (MF) | Chung Kyung-ho (FW) | did not select | |
| Kim Dong-jin (DF) | Kim Jung-woo (MF) | did not select | |
| Jung Sung-ryong (GK) | Kim Chang-soo (DF) | Park Chu-young (FW) | |
| Jang Hyun-soo (DF) | Suk Hyun-jun (FW) | Son Heung-min (FW) | |
| Park Ji-soo (DF) | Kwon Chang-hoon (MF) | Hwang Ui-jo (FW) |
- ^ Lee Lim-saeng was injured in the second match. Reserve player Lee Kyung-chun appeared in the third match.
United Arab Emirates
editOverage players of United Arab Emirates national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Khasif (GK) | Ismail Al Hammadi (MF) | Ismail Matar (FW) |
Uzbekistan
editOverage players of Uzbekistan national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Husniddin Aliqulov (DF) | Eldor Shomurodov (FW) | Oston Urunov (FW) |
Europe (UEFA)
editBelarus
editOverage players of Belarus national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renan Bressan (MF) | Stanislaw Drahun (MF) | Sergei Kornilenko (FW) |
Belgium
editOverage players of Belgium national under-21 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sepp De Roover (DF) | Maarten Martens (MF) | did not select |
Czech Republic
editOverage players of Czech Republic national under-21 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| did not select | |||
Denmark
editOverage players of Denmark national under-21 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edigeison Gomes (DF) | Lasse Vibe (FW) | Emil Larsen (FW) |
France
editOverage players of France Olympic football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| did not select | |||
| Téji Savanier (MF) | Florian Thauvin (FW) | André-Pierre Gignac (FW) | |
| Loïc Badé (DF) | Alexandre Lacazette (FW) | Jean-Philippe Mateta (FW) | |
Great Britain
editOverage players of Great Britain Olympic football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Micah Richards (DF)
|
 Ryan Giggs (MF)
|
Craig Bellamy (FW)
|
Greece
editOverage players of Greece national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Konstantinos Nebegleras (MF) | Miltiadis Sapanis (MF) | Ieroklis Stoltidis (MF) |
Germany
editOverage players of Germany Olympic football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sven Bender (MF) | Lars Bender (MF) | Nils Petersen (FW) | |
| Maximilian Arnold (MF) | Max Kruse (FW) | did not select |
Hungary
editOverage players of Hungary national under-21 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| did not select | |||
Israel
editOverage players of Israel Olympic football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Goldberg (DF) | Omri Gandelman (MF) | did not select |
Italy
editOverage players of Italy national under-21 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gianluca Pagliuca (GK) | Massimo Crippa (MF) | Marco Branca (FW) | |
| did not select | |||
| Matteo Ferrari (DF) | Andrea Pirlo (MF) | did not select | |
| Tommaso Rocchi (FW) | did not select | ||
Netherlands
editOverage players of Netherlands national under-21 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kew Jaliens (DF) | Gerald Sibon (FW) | Roy Makaay (FW) |
Portugal
editOverage players of Portugal Olympic football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rui Bento (DF) | Paulo Alves (FW) | Capucho (FW) | |
| Nuno Frechaut (DF) | Fernando Meira (DF) | Luís Boa Morte (FW) | |
| André Martins (MF) | Sérgio Oliveira (MF) | Salvador Agra (FW) |
Romania
editOverage players of Romania national under-21 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florin Ștefan (DF) | did not select | ||
Serbia
editOverage players of Serbia national under-21 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| did not select | |||
| Vladimir Stojković (GK) | Aleksandar Živković (MF) | Miljan Mrdaković (FW) | |
Slovakia
editOverage players of Slovakia national under-21 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Lipčák (GK) | Radoslav Kráľ (DF) | Michal Pančík (MF) |
Spain
editOverage players of Spain national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| did not select | |||
| did not select | |||
| Juan Mata (MF) | Javi Martínez (MF) | Adrián López (FW) | |
| Mikel Merino (MF) | Dani Ceballos (MF) | Marco Asensio (FW) | |
| Juan Miranda (DF) | Sergio Gómez (FW) | Abel Ruiz (FW) | |
Sweden
editOverage players of Sweden national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Milošević (DF) | Abdul Khalili (MF) | Astrit Ajdarević (MF) |
Switzerland
editOverage players of Switzerland national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Benaglio (GK) | Timm Klose (DF) | Xavier Hochstrasser (MF) |
Ukraine
editOverage players of Ukraine national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maksym Talovyerov (DF) | Dmytro Kryskiv (MF) | did not select |
North America, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF)
editCosta Rica
editOverage players of Costa Rica national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whayne Wilson (FW) | did not select | ||
Dominican Republic
editOverage players of Dominican Republic national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luiyi de Lucas (DF) | Heinz Mörschel (MF) | did not select |
Honduras
editOverage players of Honduras national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| did not select | |||
| Samuel Caballero (DF) | Emil Martínez (MF) | Carlos Pavón (FW) | |
| Maynor Figueroa (DF) | Roger Espinoza (MF) | Jerry Bengtson (FW) | |
| Johnny Palacios (DF) | Romell Quioto (FW) | did not select | |
| Brayan Moya (MF) | Jorge Benguché (FW) | did not select | |
Mexico
editOverage players of Mexico national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jorge Campos (GK) | Claudio Suárez (DF) | Luis García (MF) | |
| Israel López (MF) | Antônio Naelson "Sinha" (MF) | Omar Bravo (FW) | |
| José Jesús Corona (GK) | Carlos Salcido (DF) | Oribe Peralta (FW) | |
| Alfredo Talavera (GK) | Jorge Torres Nilo (DF) | Oribe Peralta (FW) | |
| Guillermo Ochoa (GK) | Luis Romo (MF) | Henry Martín (FW) |
United States
editOverage players of United States men's national under-23 soccer team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kasey Keller (GK) | Alexi Lalas (DF) | did not select | |
| Brad Friedel (GK) | Jeff Agoos (DF) | Frankie Hejduk (MF) | |
| Brad Guzan (GK) | Michael Parkhurst (DF) | Brian McBride (FW) | |
| Miles Robinson (DF) | Walker Zimmerman (DF) | Djordje Mihailovic (MF) |
Oceania (OFC)
editFiji
editOverage players of Fiji national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simione Tamanisau (GK) | Alvin Singh (DF) | Roy Krishna (FW) |
New Zealand
editOverage players of New Zealand men's national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Nelsen (DF) | Simon Elliott (MF) | Chris Killen (FW) | |
| Ryan Nelsen (DF) | Michael McGlinchey (MF) | Shane Smeltz (FW) | |
| Winston Reid (DF) | Michael Boxall (DF) | Chris Wood (FW) | |
| Michael Boxall (DF) | Joe Bell (MF) | Sarpreet Singh (MF) |
South America (CONMEBOL)
editArgentina
editOverage players of Argentina national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| José Chamot (DF) | Roberto Sensini (DF) | Diego Simeone (MF) | |
| Roberto Ayala (DF) | Gabriel Heinze (DF) | Kily González (MF) | |
| Nicolás Pareja (DF) | Javier Mascherano (MF) | Juan Román Riquelme (MF) | |
| Gerónimo Rulli (GK) | Víctor Cuesta (DF) | did not select | |
| Jeremías Ledesma (GK) | did not select | ||
| Gerónimo Rulli (GK) | Nicolás Otamendi (DF) | Julián Álvarez (FW) | |
Brazil
editOverage players of Brazil national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldair (DF) | Rivaldo (MF) | Bebeto (FW) | |
| did not select | |||
| Thiago Silva (DF) | Ronaldinho (MF) | did not select | |
| Thiago Silva (DF) | Marcelo (DF) | Hulk (FW) | |
| Weverton (GK) | Renato Augusto (MF) | Neymar (FW) | |
| Aderbar Santos (GK) | Diego Carlos (DF) | Dani Alves (DF) | |
Chile
editOverage players of Chile Olympic football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Tapia (GK) | Pedro Reyes (DF) | Iván Zamorano (FW) |
Colombia
editOverage players of Colombia national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Tesillo (DF) | Dorlan Pabón (FW) | Teófilo Gutiérrez (FW) |
Paraguay
editOverage players of Paraguay national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Gamarra (DF) | Julio César Enciso (MF) | José Cardozo (FW) | |
| Gatito Fernández (GK) | Fabián Balbuena (DF) | Ángel Cardozo Lucena (MF) |
Uruguay
editOverage players of Uruguay national under-23 football team
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egidio Arévalo (MF) | Edinson Cavani (FW) | Luis Suárez (FW) |