Brazil, the once-glorious gold medalist in men's soccer at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, unexpectedly faltered in this year's Olympic qualifiers, failing to make the cut. As a result, last year's runners-up, Spain, are the logical favorites to win the tournament. The small Matador army led by Baena, Fermin and Cubasi naturally attracted a lot of attention. They formed Group C together with Egypt, Uzbekistan and Dominica. After two consecutive victories over Uzbekistan (2-1) and the Dominican Republic (3-1), the Spanish national Olympic team locked up their place in the tournament ahead of schedule, and will fight with Egypt in the final round for the top spot in the group.
In a seemingly evenly matched Group D, Japan came out on top. There was not a single overage player in their lineup, and even the age-eligible Kubo Kenyoung failed to make the cut. The Japanese national Olympic team won all their matches in the first two rounds of the group stage, scoring six goals and conceding none, making them the brightest team in the group, advancing ahead of schedule and almost locking up the first place in the group.
Looking back on the last Olympic Games, the hosts of the Japanese national Olympic team entered the semifinals, but in overtime to 0:1 defeat Spain, sorry to say goodbye. This time, the strength of the Japanese men's soccer team is not to be underestimated, and the call for the championship is getting louder and louder.
