Total Rankings Olympic Tournaments 1908-1928


The Olympic football tournaments before 1930 (when the first World Cup was played) were the world's most important events for national teams and officially acknowledged by the F.I.F.A. as the amateur world championship in football at its congress in June 1914 in Kristiania (now called Oslo).
In 1908 the tournament was open to all I.O.C. members with an existing football federation, since 1912 to all F.I.F.A. members (however, in 1920, due to the aftermath of World War I, several of them were not invited whereas some non-members entered; in 1924, the French refused to invite Germany). The first two editions, before World War I, only saw European countries enter; the first non-European participant was Egypt in 1920. The editions of 1924 and 1928 cannot be considered purely amateur anymore, as a number of countries fielded (semi-)professional players.
For additional details on the above, see the information provided in the individual files on the Olympic tournaments of 1908, 1912, 1920, 1924 and 1928.
Main Tournaments 1908-1928
Consolation Tournaments 1908-1928
All Matches 1908-1928
Some Player Records 1908-1928
Some Referee Records 1908-1928

Main Tournaments 1908-1928

Teams ranked on points (based on 2/win), then fewer matches played, then goal average.

Rk Country                Part   Pd   W  D  L   GF-GA Pts    G  S  B SF
 1.Uruguay                  2    10   9  1  0   32- 7  19    2      
 2.Netherlands              5    14   7  1  6   36-28  15          1  3 
 3.Italy                    4    11   6  1  4   34-20  13          1  
 4.Great Britain [*]        3     7   6  0  1   34- 6  12    2      
 5.Czechoslovakia           2     7   4  1  2   21- 7   9             1
 6.Switzerland              2     7   4  1  2   15-10   9       1    
 7.Sweden                   4     9   4  1  4   35-26   9          1  
 8.Belgium                  3     6   4  0  2   17-18   8    1      
 9.Denmark                  3     7   4  0  3   39- 9   8       2    
10.Argentina                1     5   3  1  1   25- 8   7       1    
11.Egypt                    3     7   3  0  4   16-26   6             1
12.Spain                    3     6   2  1  3   11-13   5            
13.Portugal                 1     3   2  0  1    7- 5   4        
14.Finland                  1     4   2  0  2    5-16   4             1
15.France                   4     7   2  0  5   16-40   4             2
16.Austria                  1     2   1  0  1    6- 4   2        
17.Ireland                  1     2   1  0  1    2- 2   2        
18.Germany                  2     3   1  0  2    6- 9   2        
19.Hungary                  2     3   1  0  2    5-10   2        
20.Norway                   2     3   1  0  2    3-12   2        
21.USA                      2     3   1  0  2    3-14   2        
22.Chile                    1     1   0  0  1    2- 4   0        
   Russia                   1     1   0  0  1    1- 2   0        
24.Mexico                   1     1   0  0  1    1- 7   0        
25.Bulgaria                 1     1   0  0  1    0- 1   0        
   Estonia                  1     1   0  0  1    0- 1   0        
   Poland                   1     1   0  0  1    0- 5   0        
   Romania                  1     1   0  0  1    0- 6   0        
   Latvia                   1     1   0  0  1    0- 7   0        
   Greece                   1     1   0  0  1    0- 9   0        
   Lithuania                1     1   0  0  1    0- 9   0        
32.Turkey                   2     2   0  0  2    3-12   0        
33.Luxembourg               3     3   0  0  3    3-10   0        
34.Yugoslavia               3     3   0  0  3    1-16   0        

   totals                  69   144  68  8 68  379-379 144   5  4  3  8

[*] at all three tournaments (1908-1920), Great Britain was represented by
    a team selected by the English FA and consisting of Englishmen only.

NB: SF refers to semi-finalists not winning a medal in the main tournament;
    the silver medals in 1920 and the bronze medals in both 1908 and 1920
    were not decided in the main tournament.

Consolation Tournaments 1908-1928

NB: includes the consolation tournaments of 1908 (i.e. the bronze medal match),
    1912 (tournament for fifth place), 1920 (silver and bronze medals tournament)
    and 1928.

Teams ranked on points (based on 2/win), then fewer matches played, then goal average.

Rk Country                Part   Pd   W  D  L   GF-GA Pts    G  S  B
 1.Spain                    1     3   3  0  0    7- 2   6       1
 2.Netherlands              3     4   2  1  1    8- 6   5          2
 3.Hungary                  1     2   2  0  0    6- 1   4
 4.Austria                  1     3   2  0  1    6- 4   4
 5.Italy                    2     4   2  0  2    4- 8   4
 6.Chile                    1     2   1  1  0    5- 3   3
 7.Germany                  1     2   1  0  1   17- 3   2
 8.Belgium                  1     1   0  0  1    1- 3   0
   Mexico                   1     1   0  0  1    1- 3   0
10.Russia                   1     1   0  0  1    0-16   0
11.Norway                   2     2   0  0  2    1- 3   0
12.Sweden                   3     3   0  0  3    1- 5   0 

                           18    28  13  2 13   57-57  28       1  2

All Matches 1908-1928

Teams ranked on points (based on 2/win), then fewer matches played, then goal average.

Rk Country                Part   Pd   W  D  L   GF-GA Pts    G  S  B SF
 1.Netherlands              5    18   9  2  7   44-34  20          3  1 
 2.Uruguay                  2    10   9  1  0   32- 7  19    2   
 3.Italy                    4    15   8  1  6   38-28  17          1  
 4.Great Britain [*]        3     7   6  0  1   34- 6  12    2      
 5.Spain                    3     9   5  1  3   18-15  11       1
 6.Czechoslovakia           2     7   4  1  2   21- 7   9             1
 7.Switzerland              2     7   4  1  2   15-10   9       1    
 8.Sweden                   4    12   4  1  7   36-31   9          1  
 9.Denmark                  3     7   4  0  3   39- 9   8       2    
10.Belgium                  3     7   4  0  3   18-21   8    1    
11.Argentina                1     5   3  1  1   25- 8   7       1    
12.Austria                  1     5   3  0  2   12- 8   6
13.Hungary                  2     5   3  0  2   11-11   6
14.Egypt                    3     7   3  0  4   16-26   6             1
15.Portugal                 1     3   2  0  1    7- 5   4            
16.Finland                  1     4   2  0  2    5-16   4             1
17.Germany                  2     5   2  0  3   23-12   4
18.France                   4     7   2  0  5   16-40   4             2
19.Chile                    1     3   1  1  1    7- 7   3
20.Ireland                  1     2   1  0  1    2- 2   2
21.USA                      2     3   1  0  2    3-14   2
22.Norway                   2     5   1  0  4    4-15   2
23.Bulgaria                 1     1   0  0  1    0- 1   0
   Estonia                  1     1   0  0  1    0- 1   0
   Poland                   1     1   0  0  1    0- 5   0
   Romania                  1     1   0  0  1    0- 6   0
   Latvia                   1     1   0  0  1    0- 7   0
   Greece                   1     1   0  0  1    0- 9   0
   Lithuania                1     1   0  0  1    0- 9   0
30.Turkey                   2     2   0  0  2    3-12   0
31.Mexico                   1     2   0  0  2    2-10   0
32.Russia                   1     2   0  0  2    1-18   0
33.Luxembourg               3     3   0  0  3    3-10   0
34.Yugoslavia               3     3   0  0  3    1-16   0
                
                           69   172  81 10 81  436-436 172   5  5  5  6

[*] at all three tournaments (1908-1920), Great Britain was represented by
    a team selected by the English FA and consisting of Englishmen only.

NB: SF refers to semi-finalists not winning a medal; there were two of those
    in 1920 (Czechoslovakia and France), whereas Spain won the silver medals
    without having reached the semi-final stage in the main tournament.

Some Player Records 1908-1928

Most Appearances

NB: below all 24 players appearing in at least 7 Olympic matches between 1908 and 1928 are listed.

Rk Player                    (Country)      Matches     (split by tournament)
 1.Harry Dénis               (Netherlands)    12        (1920: 4; 1924: 5; 1928: 3)
 2.Adolfo Baloncieri         (Italy)          11        (1920: 3; 1924: 3; 1928: 5)
 3.José Pedro Cea            (Uruguay)        10        (1924: 5; 1928: 5)
   Andrés Mazali             (Uruguay)        10        (1924: 5; 1928: 5)
 4.José Leandro Andrade      (Uruguay)         9        (1924: 5; 1928: 4)
   Pedro Arispe              (Uruguay)         9        (1924: 4; 1928: 5)
   José Nasazzi              (Uruguay)         9        (1924: 5; 1928: 4)
 8.Virgilio Felice Levratto  (Italy)           8        (1924: 3; 1928: 5)
   Pedro Petrone             (Uruguay)         8        (1924: 5; 1928: 3)
   Virginio Rosetta          (Italy)           8        (1920: 1; 1924: 3; 1928: 4)
   Héctor Pedro Scarone      (Uruguay)         8        (1924: 5; 1928: 3)
   Gejus van der Meulen      (Netherlands)     8        (1924: 5; 1928: 3)
13.Max "Xam" Abegglen II     (Switzerland)     7        (1924: 6; 1928: 1)
   Umberto Caligaris         (Italy)           7        (1924: 2; 1928: 5)
   Jan de Natris             (Netherlands)     7        (1920: 3; 1924: 4)
   Renzo De Vecchi           (Italy)           7        (1912: 3; 1920: 3; 1924: 1)
   Ali Fahmi El-Hassani      (Egypt)           7        (1920: 1; 1924: 2; 1928: 4)
   Ber Groosjohan            (Netherlands)     7        (1920: 4; 1924: 3)
   Karl Gustafsson           (Sweden)          7        (1908: 2; 1912: 2; 1920: 3)
   Antonín Hojer             (Czechoslovakia)  7        (1920: 4; 1924: 3)
   Nils Middelboe            (Denmark)         7        (1908: 3; 1912: 3; 1920: 1)
   Rudolf Ramseyer           (Switzerland)     7        (1924: 6; 1928: 1)
   Josef Sedlaček I          (Czechoslovakia)  7        (1920: 4; 1924: 3)
   Santos Urdinarán          (Uruguay)         7        (1924: 3; 1928: 4)

NB: apart from Baloncieri, De Vecchi, Dénis, Fahmi El-Hassani, Gustafsson, Middelboe and Rosetta,
    the following four players were active at three different tournaments:
   Jan De Bie                (Belgium)         6        (1920: 3; 1924: 1; 1928: 2)
   Pedro Vallana             (Spain)           6        (1920: 4; 1924: 1; 1928: 1)
   Jules Devaquez            (France)          5        (1920: 2; 1924: 2; 1928: 1)
   Paul Nicolas              (France)          5        (1920: 2; 1924: 2; 1928: 1)

Most Goals

NB: below all 22 players who scored at least 5 Olympic goals between 1908 and 1928 are listed.

Rk Player                    (Country)       Gls (MP)   (split by tournament)
 1.Sophus Nielsen            (Denmark)        13 ( 6)   (1908: 11 (3); 1912: 2 (3))
 2.Domingo Alberto Tarasconi (Argentina)      11 ( 5)   (1928: 11 (5))
   Pedro Petrone             (Uruguay)        11 ( 8)   (1924:  7 (5); 1928: 4 (3))
 4.Gottfried Fuchs           (Germany)        10 ( 2)   (1912: 10 (2))
 5.Vilhelm Wolfhagen         (Denmark)         9 ( 6)   (1908:  8 (3); 1912: 1 (3))
 6.Harold Walden             (England)         8 ( 3)   (1912:  8 (3))
   Jan Vos                   (Netherlands)     8 ( 4)   (1912:  8 (4))
   Héctor Pedro Scarone      (Uruguay)         8 ( 8)   (1924:  5 (5); 1928: 3 (3))
   Adolfo Baloncieri         (Italy)           8 (11)   (1920:  1 (3); 1924: 1 (3); 1928: 6 (5))
10.Herbert Carlsson          (Sweden )         7 ( 3)   (1920:  7 (3))
   Anthon Olsen              (Denmark)         7 ( 3)   (1912:  7 (3))
12.Harry Stapley             (England)         6 ( 3)   (1908:  6 (3))
   Antonín Janda             (Czechoslovakia)  6 ( 4)   (1920:  6 (4))
   Sven Rydell               (Sweden )         6 ( 5)   (1924:  6 (5))
   Vivian Woodward           (England)         6 ( 6)   (1908:  3 (3); 1912: 3 (3))
   Max "Xam" Abegglen II     (Switzerland)     6 ( 7)   (1924:  6 (6); 1928: 0 (1))
   Manuel "Nolo" Ferreira    (Argentina)       6 ( 5)   (1928:  6 (5))
18.Fritz Förderer            (Germany)         5 ( 2)   (1912:  5 (2))
   Kees Pijl                  (Netherlands)     5 ( 2)   (1924:  5 (2))
   Paul Sturzenegger         (Switzerland)     5 ( 4)   (1924:  5 (4))
   Ber Groosjohan            (Netherlands)     5 ( 7)   (1920:  5 (4); 1924: 0 (3))
   José Pedro Cea            (Uruguay)         5 (10)   (1924:  4 (5); 1928: 1 (5))

NB: Baloncieri is the only player scoring at three different tournaments.

Some Referee Records 1908-1928

Most Appearances

NB: below all 18 referees leading at least 2 Olympic matches between 1908 and 1928 are listed.

Rk Referee                   (Country)      Matches     (split by tournament)
 1.Job Mutters               (Netherlands)     7        (1920: 3; 1924: 2; 1928: 2)
 2.Henri Christophe          (Belgium)         4        (1920: 1; 1924: 2; 1928: 1)
   Chris Groothoff           (Netherlands)     4        (1912: 4)
   Paul Putz                 (Belgium)         4        (1920: 3; 1924: 1)
   Marcel Slawik             (France)          4        (1924: 3; 1928: 1)
   Bep Willing               (Netherlands)     4        (1912: 4)
 7.Per Andersen              (Norway)          3        (1924: 3)
   Charles Barette           (Belgium)         3        (1920: 2; 1924: 1)
   Wim Eijmers                (Netherlands)     3        (1920: 1; 1928: 2)
   Johnny Lewis              (England)         3        (1908: 1; 1920: 2)
   Youssof Mohamed           (Egypt)           3        (1924: 1; 1928: 2)
   Heinz Retschury           (Austria)         3        (1924: 3)
   Paulus Sjöblom            (Sweden)          3        (1912: 3)
14.Achille Gama Malcher      (Italy)           2        (1928: 2)
   Ruben Gelbord             (Sweden)          2        (1912: 2)
   John Langenus             (Belgium)         2        (1928: 2)
   Giovanni Mauro            (Italy)           2        (1920: 1; 1928: 1)
   Georges Vallat            (France)          2        (1924: 2)

The above include all final referees (Lewis 1908 and 1920, Groothoff 1912, Slawik 1924 and
Mutters 1928 (also the final replay)); in addition, both Lewis and Mutters led one semi-final,
as did Eijmers, Gelbord, Vallat and five other referees not listed above.

About this document

Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Karel Stokkermans
Last updated: 9 Nov 2025

(C) Copyright Karel Stokkermans and RSSSF 2025
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