Olympics 2028: Wales rules out joining team GB football

Football Association of Wales (FAW) chief executive Noel Mooney has made it clear that joining a Team GB football side for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics “not on our radar at all”.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) had said after the Paris 2024 Games that they wanted to revive the Great Britain men’s football team for the Los Angeles Olympics.

The last time a GB men’s side played at the Olympics was in London 2012, where five Welsh players, including current Wales manager Craig Bellamy, were part of the squad.

A GB women’s side last appeared at the Tokyo 2020 Games with Wales captain Sophine Ingle in the team. But Wales, along with Scotland and Northern Ireland, have long stated that joining a single Olympic team could threaten their independent status in FIFA and UEFA.

“The Olympics is not on our radar at all, not at any level,” Mooney told the PA news agency. “I ‘ve not heard a single word about it and never discussed it with anybody. We want to focus on Cymru and what we do.”

Even if the BOA continues its push, other hurdles remain. Clubs may resist releasing players during an already packed football calendar.

The Los Angeles 2028 Games will run from 14- 30 July 2028, but Olympic football starts two days earlier. This comes right after Euro 2028, co hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland only weeks before the new domestic season kicks off.

Mooney added: “That the Olympics is somebody else’s work, I guess. Our job is to make sure we represent Cymru in the right way. On and off the pitch, that’s our complete focus.”