Football was one of the 154 events at the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

, held in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. It was the fifth time association football was on the Olympic schedule. The tournament expanded to 15 countries, including a non-European nation (

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

) for the first time.Olympic Football Tournament, Antwerp 1920 - Overview
on FIFA.com As these were the first Olympics after World War I, the football teams representing the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...

were not invited (

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

). The

English Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...

had also withdrawn from

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

, together with the associations of the other UK Home Nations (

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

), after their demands that the federations of Germany, Austria and Hungary be expelled from that organisation were rejected. FIFA nevertheless accepted the entry of a team from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

(representing the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Great B ...

), ruling that countries entering the Olympic Games in other sports should not be excluded from the football tournament. Britain had won the 1908 and 1912 gold medals, but were beaten by Norway 3-1 in the first round: the

Norway national football team The Norway national football team ( no, Norges herrelandslag i fotball, or informally ''Landslaget'') represents Norway in men's international football and is controlled by the Norwegian Football Federation, the governing body for football in ...

thus celebrated one of their iconic victories, alongside the elimination of Nazi Germany at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the 1993 win over England in World Cup qualifying, and the 2–1 defeat of reigning world champions Brazil at the 1998 World Cup. Hosts

won the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

, with the final being abandoned in the 39th minute with Belgium leading 2-0 after

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

- who participated in an international competition for the first time - walked off to protest the officiating: the Czechslovaks were subsequently ejected from the competition. As a result of Czechoslovakia's ejection and Belgium having received a first-round bye, the beaten quarter-finalists (Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden) faced each other to determine who would play the Netherlands (who were beaten in their semifinal by Belgium), who were now assured of a medal. The tournament ended with

winning the gold medal, with

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

winning the silver and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

winning the bronze.VII. Olympiad Antwerp 1920 Football Tournament
by Karel Stokkermans on the RSSSF

Venues

Squads

Tournament

15 teams entered the competition, which was organized on a knockout basis, but Switzerland withdrew on the morning before the first round due to internal dissent, meaning their opponent, France, were awarded a first-round 2–0 victory. As such, 12 teams entered the first round, with the winners joining France and host

in the quarter-finals.

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

defeated

in the first round, considered by Elo as one of the greatest football upsets of all time. Czechoslovakia, participating in their first international tournament, made it to the final, beating Kingdom of SCS (who also played their first ever international match in the competition),

, and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, while

, after their first-round bye, beat

and the

to qualify for the final. The final was abandoned in the 39th minute and

were awarded the gold medal after

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

walked off to protest the officiating of the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

referee,

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

, and his linesmen. A form of the Bergvall SystemVIIeme Olympiade, Anvers 1920: Official report
on LA84 Digital Library Collection was used to determine the silver and bronze medals: firstly, the beaten quarter-finalists played off, and

emerged triumphant, overcoming

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

2-1 and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

2-0. Under the original format, Spain would have played off against the teams beaten in the main tournament by gold medalists

, with the winners of these matches playing off for silver and bronze medals. However, Czechoslovakia had been ejected from the competition, and Belgium had received a first-round bye: therefore, the third round was scratched, and Spain advanced to the silver and bronze medal match against the

, who had been beaten by Belgium in their semi-final. Spain won the match 3–1.

Exhibition match

This match was not part of the tournament, but was organized after both teams were eliminated. Some sources erroneously refer to this as an eighth-place match or as part of the silver and bronze medal tournament.

Results

Original bracket

First round

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Bye:

Quarter-finals

---- ---- ----

Semi-finals

----

Gold medal match

The final was highly controversial, and is the only time as of 2022 that an international final has been abandoned:

were awarded the gold medal after

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

walked off the pitch in the 39th minute with Belgium leading 2-0 to protest the officiating after Czechoslovak left-back Karel Steiner was ejected for assaulting Belgian striker Robert Coppée. The Czechoslovaks were also deeply dissatisfied with the performance of the 65-year-old

referee,

, as well as that of the English linesmen,

Charles Wreford-Brown Charles Wreford-Brown (9 October 1866 – 26 November 1951) was an English sportsman. He captained the England national football team and was a county cricketer during the Victorian age, and later acted as a sports legislator during the 20th ce ...

and Arthur Knight, who had allowed a contentious second Belgian goal by

Henri Larnoe Alfons Henri "Rik" Larnoe (18 May 1897 – 24 February 1978) was a Belgian football (soccer) player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen ...

in the 30th minute. Lewis, Wreford-Brown and Knight had officiated the Belgian semi-final victory over the Netherlands two days earlier, a match observed by the Czechoslovaks (it had taken place on the same day and in the same stadium as their own semi-final victory against France). The Czechoslovaks immediately protested the result of the final, but their protest was dismissed, and the Czechoslovak team was immediately ejected from the competition.

Silver and bronze medal tournament

Repechage bracket

The original format was based on a form of the Bergvall System: after a knockout tournament between the four teams beaten in the quarter-finals, the winner of that tournament would play off against the teams beaten in the main tournament by the gold medalists (Belgium), with the winners of these matches playing off for silver and bronze medals. However, Czechoslovakia had been ejected from the competition, and Belgium had received a first-round bye: therefore, the third round was scratched, and Spain (the winner of the beaten quarter-finalists tournament) advanced to the silver and bronze medal match against the Netherlands (who had been beaten in the semifinals by gold medalists Belgium).

First round

----

Second round

Silver and bronze medal match

Final ranking

Final positions:1920 Antwerp Olympic Football Tournament
on Football Mundial.com

Medalists

Goalscorers

Swefootball hcarlsson1919netherlands24aug

;7 goals *

Herbert Carlsson Knut Herbert "Murren" Karlsson (8 September 1896 – 21 October 1952), better known as Herbert Carlsson, was a Swedish football inside forward born in Gothenburg. He played professionally in both Sweden and the United States. He also earned twent ...

(Sweden) ;6 goals *

Antonín Janda Antonín Janda-Očko (21 September 1892 – 21 January 1960) was a former international Czechoslovak footballer who played for Czechoslovakia and Sparta Prague as a forward. International career Janda played 10 times for his home country, and ...

(Czechoslovakia) ;5 goals *

Ber Groosjohan Bernardus ("Ber") Groosjohan (16 June 1897 in Rotterdam – 5 August 1971 in Rotterdam) was a football (soccer) player from the Netherlands, who represented his native country at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp and the 1924 Summer Oly ...

(Netherlands) ;4 goals *

Robert Coppée Robert Coppée (23 April 1895 Haine-Saint-Pierre – 1970) was a Belgian football (soccer) player who competed in the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Game ...

(Belgium) * Jan Vanik (Czechoslovakia) *

Félix Sesúmaga Félix Sesúmaga Ugarte (12 October 1898 – 24 August 1925) was a Spanish (Basque) footballer who played as a forward for Arenas Club de Getxo, FC Barcelona, Racing de Sama de Langreo, Athletic Bilbao and Spain. Sesúmaga won the Copa del Re ...

(Spain) ;3 goals * Otakar Mazal (Czechoslovakia) *

Jaap Bulder Jacob "Jaap" Eisse Bulder (27 September 1896 in Groningen – 30 April 1979 in Leiderdorp) was a football (soccer) player from the Netherlands, who represented his home country at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. There he won the bro ...

(Netherlands) *

Albin Dahl Carl Albin Dahl (2 January 1900 – 15 February 1980) was a Swedish association footballer who played as a striker. He competed in the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics and finished in fifth and third place, respectively. Together with his elder br ...

(Sweden) * Albert Olsson (Sweden) ;2 goals *

(Belgium) *

Sayed Abaza El-Sayed Fahmi Abaza (1897 – November 1962) was an Egyptian footballer who played as a defender. He competed in the 1920 and 1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games ...

(Egypt) * Jean Boyer (France) * Guglielmo Brezzi (Italy) * Einar Gundersen (Norway) ;1 goal *

Mathieu Bragard Mathieu Bragard (10 March 1895 – 19 July 1952) was a Belgian football player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olymp ...

(Belgium) *

Louis Van Hege Louis Van Hege (8 May 1889 – 24 June 1975) was a Belgian footballer who played as an inside-forward. Club career At club level, Van Hege played for Italian side A.C. Milan from 1910 to 1915, scoring 97 goals during five Italian Footb ...

(Belgium) * Josef Sedláček (Czechoslovakia) * Karel Steiner (Czechoslovakia) * Hassan Allouba (Egypt) *

Hussein Hegazi Hussein Hegazi ( ar, حسين حجازي, Ḥusayn Ḥijāziyy; 14 September 1889 – 8 October 1961) was an Egyptian international footballer who became the first African player to play in England after playing with Dulwich Hamlet and Fulham in ...

(Egypt) * Zaki Osman (Egypt) * Henri Bard (France) *

Paul Nicolas Paul Nicolas (4 November 1899 – 3 March 1959) was a French footballer who played as a striker. He was part of the France national football teams at the 1920, 1924, and 1928 Summer Olympics. He was also part of the France national football ...

(France) *

Fred Nicholas Frederick William Herbert Nicholas (25 July 1893 – 20 October 1962) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Essex County Cricket Club in a first-class career that spanned from 1912 to 1929. He also played association football as a ...

(Great Britain) *

Emilio Badini Emilio Badini (, ; 4 August 1897 – 4 August 1956) was an Italian Argentine professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Biography Badini was born in Rosario, Santa Fe Argentina and had Argentine citizenship but represented Italy interna ...

(Italy) * Adolfo Baloncieri (Italy) * Enrico Sardi (Italy) *

Jan de Natris Johannes ("Jan") Daniel de Natris (13 November 1895 in Amsterdam – 16 September 1972 in Amsterdam) was a football (soccer) player from the Netherlands, who represented his home country at both the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium ...

(Netherlands) * Arne Andersen (Norway) * Einar Wilhelms (Norway) *

Domingo Acedo Domingo Gómez-Acedo y Villanueva (6 June 1898 – 14 September 1980), also known as Txomin, was a Spanish footballer who played primarily as a left-sided forward and sometimes as a left back. Acedo was in the Spain national team that compet ...

(Spain) *

Patricio Arabolaza Patricio Arabolaza Aranburu (17 March 1893 – 12 March 1935) was a Spanish football player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He is best known for scoring the first goal in the history of the Spain national team. Club career Born in Ir ...

(Spain) * Mariano Arrate (Spain) *

José María Belauste José María de Belausteguigoitia Landaluce (3 September 1889 – 4 September 1964), known as Belauste, was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Born in Bilbao, Biscay, Belauste played with Athletic Bilbao from ages 15� ...

(Spain) * Pichichi (Spain) *

Ragnar Wicksell Per Edgar Ragnar "Ragge" Wicksell (26 September 1892 – 31 July 1974) was a Swedish football and bandy player. He competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics and in the 1920 Summer Olympics. In 1912, he played as midfielder one match in the main to ...

(Sweden) *

Artur Dubravčić Artur Dubravčić (15 September 1894 – 13 March 1969) was a Croatian-Yugoslavian footballer. Club career When Dubravčić was still in high school in Karlovac, he was one of the founders and first players of the ŠK Olimpija Karlovac footba ...

(Kingdom of SCS) * Jovan Ružić (Kingdom of SCS)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Football At The 1920 Summer Olympics 1920 1920 Summer Olympics events 1920 in association football 1920

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...