At the 1900 Summer Olympics, an association football tournament was contested for the first time. Only two matches were held between the three club sides, and no medals were awarded.
France's representatives were determined by the USFSA, which elected the Parisian champion Club Français. For Belgium, after Racing Club de Bruxelles declined to participate, a student selection with players from the Université libre de Bruxelles was sent by the Federation. The team was reinforced with a few non-students. English club Upton Park F.C. represented Great Britain.
The International Olympic Committee originally credited Great Britain, France and a "Mixed Team" with gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively, as part of its attempt to reconcile early Olympic Games with the modern award scheme. The Belgian team included one British and one Dutch player. In 2024 the bronze medal was reallocated to Belgium.
The football matches were held at the Vélodrome de Vincennes in Paris.
Originally there were four matches scheduled for the 1900 Olympics, all including a French team.
As Switzerland and Germany eventually did not send a team, the match involving France and Great Britain was moved forward to 20 September.
The final schedule of the tournament:
In the first game, the British squad had little difficulty defeating the Club Français (wearing the USFSA uniform). Upton Park led 2âÂÂ0 after the first half, getting two more goals in the second to win 4âÂÂ0. Gaston Peltier scored in the first minute to give the USFSA XI an early lead, but Université de Bruxelles scored twice to take a 2âÂÂ1 first half lead. The French scored five goals in the second half, however, to take the match 6âÂÂ2.
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