Since FIFA now sees women's football as a profit avenue, it is starting conversations with the Olympics to enforce the same rule currently applied to men at the Games: only stars under 23 can participate.
While FIFA's reasoning behind this new restriction on the women's Olympic football tournament is due to concerns over fixture congestion and the workload of senior players, the reason they enforced the rule for the men was to protest the supremacy and commercial value of the FIFA World Cup
No formal proposal has been submitted, but sources at FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have said both organisations are open to discussion. One would hope that the players themselves have a say in the decision as well.
If the rules were to change, they would not be eligible to take effect for LA 2028, as the rules have already been established and qualification tournaments are underway in some regions. As a result, any change could not be introduced before the 2032 Games in Brisbane.
FIFA would need to examine the issue through its own processes and consult the IOC, players and major national associations, particularly those whose teams regularly qualify for the Olympics.
Introducing an age restriction would fundamentally change the character of the women's tournament and would require careful consideration before any decision was made.
This system is not new in FIFA or the Olympics, and it was enforced in the men's game in 1992. Football appeared in the games in 1908, but professional players could not participate until 1984. FIFA, however, wanted to protect its own assets and the importance of the World Cup. They feared it would undermine the competition's legitimacy and add to an increasingly crowded football calendar.
FIFA pressured the IOC to introduce an under-23 rule in 1992, and since 1996 teams have also been permitted to include three overaged players; the same rules and principles would likely apply if it were to apply to the women's side.
The women involved in football at the Olympics started in Atlanta in 1996, when it was still considered an amateur sport, so no equivalent eligibility restrictions were enforced, especially as FIFA only recently held its first World Cup in 1991 and the first international invitational tournament was held by them in 1988.
As a result, the women's tournament did not run in parallel with the men's and continued to feature senior stars, while the men operated with a limited pool of players.
Personally, I would see this as stunting the growth of the game, as the Olympics is just another platform, a unique one with a different audience, and therefore removing this differing audience could easily stunt the growth of the game and reduce access to the fans and players. Senior names will draw crowds and the global interest and spectacle that sporting events have, and those big household names will only drive the sport and players further. I also think this move has nothing to do with match congestion or player welfare, and everything to do with FIFA wanting to protect the World Cup, ensure it remains the biggest football tournament, and make the most profit from the women's game. If it were about congestion, they would not have added new competitions to the schedule.
It is likely to prove controversial among fans and players because the competition would carry the same prestige and offer players the chance to compete for a major global title.
The USA are the current holders, having won the 2024 Paris title under Emma Hayes, and have dominated the competition, winning five of the eight available gold medals.
Restrictions would remove many of the biggest names from the event and significantly alter its appeal to players, supporters and also commercial investors. If they don't see the likes of Aitana Bonmatí or Alexia Putellas at the games, brands are unlikely to invest. For the IOC, women's football has a unique fanbase that differs from other Olympic sports and also presents an important commercial market worldwide, so it would not be far-fetched if the IOC disagrees with FIFA and is reluctant to make changes that reduce the tournament's profile.
While many players over the years have spoken about match congestion, they were unlikely talking about the Olympics; they were more likely referring to less significant competitions, like the Nations League, Club World Cup, or Champions Cup, which reflect the natural rhythm of a club season.
Though with the rapid professionalisation and expansion of the women's game over the past decade, which has seen growth domestically and internationally, there has been an increase in matches played by leading players. The calendar around the 2028 Olympics is expected to be particularly congested.
Though FIFA itself has not helped this problem and, in fact, has made it worse,t would be understandable if the IOC refused, as they have not made the situation worse, unlike FIFA, who have just added more competitions so they can make more money, which ultimately many believe is the true reason for the under-23 enforcement: to ensure all profit made from football or footballing tournaments is theirs.
FIFA has also contributed to the problem by scheduling the inaugural Women's Club World Cup in an Olympic year.
The United States will host the 16-team competition from 5 to 30 January 2028, just six months before the Los Angeles Olympics.
For the WSL, Arsenal have already qualified, and either Chelsea or Manchester City will be involved; if they progress, they could miss a month of domestic competitions, four World Cup fixtures, and the fourth round of the FA Cup.
So if FIFA truly cared about player workload and that were the reason for the Olympic age restriction, why are they also introducing another major competition for them to benefit from into an already crowded calendar financially?
LA28 marks a big shift: for the first time, the women's competition will be larger than the men's, with 16 countries compared to 12, but with restrictions, the competition could become less commercially and competitively significant.
While the model has been affected in the existing men's framework, applying it to the women's game could harm the game's global growth, and one can only wonder about FIFA's true motivations behind this possible pursuit.
The debate also raises concerns about fixture congestion by introducing the Women's Club World Cup into an Olympic year.
Any change would need to balance player welfare against the prestige, commercial appeal and competitive importance of Olympic women's football. With the 2028 rules already established, Brisbane 2032 is the earliest opportunity for a different system to be introduced. FIFA and the IOC have yet to make any formal proposal or announce a decision. One can only hope OC does not give in to FIFA and maintains integrity as a platform for elite women's football.
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