Sixteen teams qualified for the men's Olympic football tournament. In addition to host nation Japan, 15 men's national teams qualified from six separate continental confederations.[1]
| Means of qualification | Ref. | Dates | Venue(s) | Berth(s) | Qualified | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | [2] | 1 | ||||
| 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship | [3] | 16–30 June 2019 |  Italy San Marino | 4 | ||
| 2019 OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament | [4] | 21 September – 5 October 2019 |  Fiji | 1 | ||
| 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations | [5] | 8–22 November 2019 |  Egypt | 3 | ||
| 2020 AFC U-23 Championship | [6] | 8–26 January 2020 |  Thailand | 3 | ||
| 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament | [7] | 18 January – 9 February 2020 |  Colombia | 2 | ||
| 2020 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship | [8] | 18–30 March 2021 |  Mexico | 2 | ||
| Total | 16 | |||||
See main article: 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
See main article: 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification.
| Team | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th | 2017 (semi-finals) | (1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004) | ||||
| 14th | 2017 (runners-up) | (1986, 1998, 2011, 2013) | ||||
| 9th | 2006 (semi-finals) | (1988) | ||||
| 15th | 2017 (semi-finals) | (1982, 1984) | ||||
| 11th | 2017 (group stage) | (1978) | ||||
| 12th | 2017 (champions) | (2009, 2017) | ||||
| 3rd | 2004 (group stage) | (2000, 2004) | ||||
| 8th | 2017 (group stage) | (1992, 2015) | ||||
| 3rd | 2007 (semi-finals) | (2007) | ||||
| 2nd | 1998 (quarter-finals) | (1998) | ||||
| 7th | 2017 (group stage) | Quarter-finals (1982, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1994) | ||||
| 1st | — | Debut |
See main article: 2019 OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
See main article: 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations.
See main article: 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualification.
| Team | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| (hosts) | 3rd | (2011) | |
| 1st | |||
| 1st | |||
| 2nd | (2011) | ||
| 2nd | (2015) | ||
| 3rd | (2015) | ||
| 3rd | (2015) | ||
| 2nd | (2015) |
See main article: 2020 AFC U-23 Championship.
| Team | Qualified as | data-sort-type="number" | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | (2016, 2018) | |||
| 3rd | (2018) | |||
| 1st | ||||
| 4th | (2013) | |||
| 3rd | (2013, 2016) | |||
| 4th | (2013) | |||
| 4th | (2018) | |||
| 4th | (2016) | |||
| 4th | (2016) | |||
| 4th | (2016) | |||
| 4th | (2013, 2016, 2018) | |||
| 3rd | (2018) | |||
| 4th | (2013) | |||
| 3rd | (2016) | |||
| 4th | (2013) | |||
| 4th | (2013) |
See main article: 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament.
See main article: 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship.
| Team | Qualification zone | data-sort-type="number" width="120px" | Appearance | Previous best performance | Previous men's Olympic appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America (automatic) | 9th | Runner-up (1984, 1996) | 3 | ||
| North America (automatic) | 12th | Winner (1964, 1972, 1976, 1996, 2004, 2012, 2015) | 11 | ||
| North America (automatic) | 11th | Winner (1988, 1992) | 14 | ||
| Central America | 7th | Winner (1980, 1984) | 3 | ||
| Central America | 12th | Third Place (2012) | 1 | ||
| Central America | 10th | Winner (2000, 2008) | 4 | ||
| Caribbean | 1st | Debutant | 0 | ||
| Caribbean | 3rd | Group stage (2008, 2015) | 0 |