Eight teams competed in the women's football tournament at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In addition to the host nation, the United States, seven other teams qualified for the tournament based on the results from the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Unlike the men's competition, there was no fixed slot allocation for the women's tournament. Instead, the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup would be used as the preliminary competition to qualify teams for the inaugural women's Olympic football tournament, which featured eight teams. The United States automatically qualified for the tournament as hosts, leaving seven spots to be determined by the Women's World Cup. Teams were ranked based on their results in the tournament, with the top seven teams in the ranking qualifying for the Olympics (excluding the United States and England, a non-IOC member).[1] [2]
See main article: 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup.
See main article: 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification.
Twelve teams qualified for the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden based on a fixed slot allocation.
| Confederation | Slots | Tournament | Teams qualified |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC (Asia) | 2 | Football at the 1994 Asian Games – Women's tournament | |
| CAF (Africa) | 1 | 1995 African Women's Championship | |
| CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) | 2 | 1994 CONCACAF Women's Championship | |
| CONMEBOL (South America) | 1 | 1995 South American Women's Football Championship | |
| OFC (Oceania) | 1 | 1994 OFC Women's Championship | |
| UEFA (Europe) | 5 | Host country | |
| UEFA Women's Euro 1995 |
Ranking of third-placed teams
See main article: 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage.
Teams were ranked by the round/place which they reached, and then by points, goal difference and goals scored. Teams eliminated in the quarter-finals are ranked by their quarter-final goal differential. Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.
No teams from Africa (CAF) or Oceania (OFC) managed to qualify for the Olympic tournament.
| Confederation | Teams qualified | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | ||
| 0 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 0 | ||
| 4 |