Paris 2024 Olympic men's soccer: Expert picks, predictions, who will earn gold, how far will USA soccer go?

Olympic men's soccer gets underway on Wednesday with the first round of group stage games ahead of what promises to be an intriguing tournament rich with talent. From the Paris Games' host nation France to the USA U-23 team, there are a number of contenders for the gold medal including UEFA Euro 2024 winners Spain with La Roja targeting a men's double. With previous winners Brazil not even present, there will be no title defense as the games play out largely away from the French capital because of the need for the main soccer venue -- Stade de France -- for the other disciplines. The next three weeks promise to continue your summer soccer fix in style and we try to foresee how it will all pan out in this tournament of U-23 teams plus three overage players each.

Ahead of the games, here are our staff picks:

How far can USA go?

Being drawn into a group with the host nation France, it's tough for the United States to win their group but that doesn't mean that they can't make the knockout stages of this tournament. But being alongside New Zealand and Guinea, it would be a disappointment if this teadm didn't make it out of their group. New Zealand is a team that has talent but as long as the central pairing of Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman are able to keep the ball out of the back of the net, there is enough in this team to make the Quarterfinals. Going much further than that will require luck of the draw. -- Chuck Booth

Gold medal favorites

It is hard not to imagine the business end of the tournament featuring hosts France, Euro winners Spain and Copa America winners Argentina. Despite a roster of major talent, Les Bleus' preparations were tricky so many will likely see La Roja or the Albiceleste as the favorites instead. However, for the sake of argument, the Spanish coming off the back of their Euro triumph must be viewed as the team to beat. The French could grow into this one while the South Americans could be the ones setting the pace but Spain are the ones fancied before a ball is even kicked. -- Jonathan Johnson

Biggest disappointment

It is worth being skeptical about how France will live up to expectations given that only two Olympic hosts have won a medal in the last 40 years. They also have what looks to be the toughest group on paper but that might ultimately lead to disappointment in the U.S. camp. Lose to the hosts in the opening game and Marko Mitrovic's side will have ground to catch up. It's not entirely certain they will given that they're coming up against a Guinea side of young talents such as Ilaix Moriba, led by the veteran presence of Naby Keita. -- James Benge