Football at the 1964 Summer Olympics

The format was similar to 1960. There were 16 qualified teams but DPR Korea (North) withdrew because some of their players were ineligible after competing at the Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO), and Italy was disqualified for having used professional players in qualifying, which left a field of 14 teams. They were separated into four groups, two with four teams, and two with three. The top two finishers in each group advanced to the knock-out phase, starting with the quarter-finals.

The original 16 teams qualified as follows – Japan as the host nation; Yugoslavia as the defending champion; five teams from a European Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Romania, Hungary, Germany [East], Italy, Czechoslovakia); two teams from a South American Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Argentina, Brazil); one team from a North and Central American Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Mexico); three teams from an African Olympic Qualifying Tournament (United Arab Republic [Egypt], Ghana, Morocco); and three teams from an Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Korea [South], DPR Korea [North], Iran).

In the South American Qualifying Tournament, a riot broke out near the end of the Argentina-Peru match after Uruguayan referee Ángel Pazos disallowed a Peruvian goal that tied the match with only two minutes remaining. The police intervened but the fighting went on into the night, and before it had ended, 328 people were killed with 100s more injured.

The matches were played at five venues around Japan, as follows – Kokuritsu Kyogijo, Shinjuku, Tokyo; Chichibunomiya Ragubijo, Minato, Tokyo; Komazawa Stadium, Komazawa Olympic Park, Tokyo; Mitsuzawa Stadium, Yokohama; Saitamashi Omiya Koen Sakkajo, Saitama; Osakashi Nagai Rikujo Kyogijo, Osaka; and Nishikyogoku Sutajiamu, Kyoto.

Hungary won the tournament, as they had in 1952, defeating Czechoslovakia in the final, 2-1, with Germany winning the bronze medal, defeating Egypt, 3-1.