The association football tournament at the 1956 Summer Olympics was won by the Soviet Union. Defending champions Hungary were forced to withdraw due to the Soviet invasion of their country. This was the first Olympic football tournament where all the medalists were communist countries, with Yugoslavia and Bulgaria took silver and bronze respectively.

Background

Following five withdrawals, the tournament featured three Eastern Bloc teams and four from Asia. The other sides included in the draw were the United States, the United Team of Germany (which was de facto West Germany), Great Britain and the hosts Australia, competing in their first Olympic football tournament. The tendency of Eastern bloc countries to provide state-funding for their athletes put Western amateurs at a significant disadvantage. As a result, all Olympic football tournaments 1952 onwards were dominated by the Soviet Union and its satellites.

Venues

Teams

Qualification

Squads

First round

Five of the sixteen qualified teams withdrew before the final draw: 🇨🇳 china (boycotted the Games to protest the reception of Taiwan), 🇪🇬 egypt (withdrew due to Suez Crisis), 🇹🇷 turkey,, and the defending Olympic champions and recent World Cup runners-up 🇭🇺 hungary, a nation that was cheered in other Olympic contests due to their ongoing suppression by Soviet troops. Therefore, only three games were played in the first round: as China and Turkey had been drawn against each other, their match was scratched. The Soviet Union defeated the United Team of Germany 2–1, Great Britain defeated Thailand 9–0, and Australia defeated Japan 2–0. Byes: (drawn against Egypt, who withdrew), (drawn against Hungary, who withdrew), (drawn against South Vietnam, who withdrew), and (drawn against each other: match was postponed to the quarter-finals).

Quarter-finals

Yugoslavia defeated the United States 9–1. Bulgaria led Great Britain 3–1 at half-time, when ratings from HMS Newcastle (C76) vaulted the fence and exhorted the team to show more grit, after which they were peacefully escorted off the field. The British team went on to lose 6–1. The Soviet Union drew their game against Indonesia 0–0 and won 4–0 in the replay. The Indians defeated Australia 4–2 with a hat trick by centre forward Neville D'Souza, the first by an Asian in the Olympics. Prior to the game there had been debate, once again, as to whether the Indians should be shod. Sir Stanley Rous respected their decision either way, although in the end, the Indians decided to wear boots.

Semi-finals

Yugoslavia defeated India 4–1. It would be their third consecutive Olympic final, after losing both in 1948 and 1952. The Soviets defeated Bulgaria 2–1. Normal time finished 0–0, and Bulgaria scored first in extra time before conceding two goals in the last six minutes of the game.

Bronze medal match

Bulgaria took Bronze defeating India 3–0.

Gold medal match

Yugoslavia were playing Red Star Belgrade's Dragoslav Šekularac in this tournament; he would feature in the 1960 European Nations' Cup final again versus the USSR. They lost 1–0 to a second half Anatoli Ilyin goal, with the Soviet Union winning the title.

Bracket

Goalscorers

Medalists