The Parade of Nations at the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony is always one of the biggest highlights of the Games, with all participating countries receiving grand introductions in front of a live audience, with millions watching from across the globe.
This year's event will look different, held on water instead of land -- and it'll be awhile until Team USA appears.
For the first time ever, the Opening Ceremony won't take place in a stadium. Instead, it will take place on water -- with thousands of athletes traveling down the Seine River in a floating parade.
Approximately 10,500 athletes will sail in a 3.5-mile flotilla of 94 boats down Paris’ iconic Seine River. The parade starts at the Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and follows the course of the Seine from east to west. It makes its way around two islands in the center of the city before passing under several bridges and gateways.
Athletes aboard the boats will get glimpses of several Olympic venues, including La Concorde Urban Park, Invalides and the Grand Palais. The parade ends at the Iena Bridge, which links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of the Seine to the Trocadéro district on the right bank.
The ceremony’s finale is at the Trocadéro. There, among other ceremonial procedures, French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver opening remarks.
Viewers of the Opening Ceremony may expect to see countries in the Parade of Nations come out in alphabetical order. And while the order is followed, it may not be in the way you think.
Here's how the order works, and when you'll see Team USA
Which country marches first in the Parade of Nations?
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The first country to march in the Parade of Nations is Greece. The nation is where the Olympics originated thousands of years ago, with the first modern Games transpiring there in 1896. Greece's founding role is recognized by going first in the parade.
NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo and race walker Antigoni Drisbioti were also named Greece's flagbearers for the parade, so they'll kickstart the event by coming out first.
Which country marches last in the Parade of Nations?
On the far end of the order is the country who is hosting the Olympics. Because the 2024 Games is in Paris, France will come out last.
How is the order of the Parade of Nations determined?
The countries in between are arranged in alphabetical order -- but that’s based on the alphabetical order in the language of the host country, which in this case, is French.
Future Olympic host countries move to the end of the order to add prominence to their appearance. That means the United States, which will host the Winter Games in 2034 and Australia, which will host the Summer Olympics in 2032 will come out near the end.
What is the Parade of Nations order for the 2024 Olympics?
Here's the full country order for the 2024 Parade of Nations in Paris:
1. Greece
2. Refugee Olympic Team
3. Afghanistan
4. South Africa
5. Albania
6. Algeria
7. Germany
8. Andorra
9. Angola
10. Antigua and Barbada
11. Saudi Arabia
12. Argentina
13. Armenia
14. Aruba
15. Austria
16. Azerbaijan
17. Bahamas
18. Bahrain
19. Bangladesh
20. Barbados
21. Belgium
22. Belize
23. Benin
24. Bermuda
25. Bhutan
26. Bolivia
27. Bosnia and Herzegovina
28. Botswana
29. Brazil
30. Brunei
31. Bulgaria
32. Burkina Faso
33. Burundi
34. Cayman Islands
35. Cambodia
36. Cameroon
37. Canada
38. Cape Verde
39. Central African Republic
40. Chile
41. China
42. Cyprus
43. Colombia
44. Comoros
45. Republic of the Congo
46. Democratic Republic of the Congo
47. Cook Islands
48. South Korea
49. Costa Rica
50. Ivory Coast
51. Croatia
52. Cuba
53. Denmark
54. Djibouti
55. Dominican Republic
56. Dominica
57. Egypt
58. El Salvador
59. United Arab Emirates
60. Ecuador
61. Eritrea
62. Spain
63. Estonia
64. Eswatini
65. Ethiopia
66. Fiji
67. Finland
68. Gabon
69. The Gambia
70. Georgia
71. Ghana
72. Great Britain
73. Grenada
74. Guam
75. Guatemala
76. Guinea
77. Guinea-Bissau
78. Equatorial Guinea
79. Guyana
80. Haiti
81. Honduras
82. Hong Kong
83. Hungary
84. India
85. Indonesia
86. Iran
87. Iraq
88. Ireland
89. Iceland
90. Israel
91. Italy
92. Jamaica
93. Japan
94. Jordan
95. Kazakhstan
96. Kenya
97. Kyrgyzstan
98. Kiribati
99. Kosovo
100. Kuwait
101. Laos
102. Lesotho
103. Latvia
104. Lebanon
105. Liberia
106. Libya
107. Liechenstein
108. Lithuania
109. Luxembourg
110. North Macedonia
111. Madagascar
112. Malaysia
113. Malawi
114. Maldives
115. Mali
116. Malta
117. Morocco
118. Marshall Islands
119. Mauritius
120. Mauritania
121. Mexico
122. Federated States of Micronesia
123. Moldova
124. Monaco
125. Mongolia
126. Montenegro
127. Mozambique
128. Myanmar
129. Namibia
130. Nauru
131. Nepal
132. Nicaragua
133. Niger
134. Nigeria
135. Norway
136. New Zealand
137. Oman
138. Uganda
139. Uzbekistan
140. Pakistan
141. Palau
142. Palestine
143. Panama
144. Papua New Guinea
145. Paraguay
146. Netherlands
147. Peru
148. Philippines
149. Poland
150. Puerto Rico
151. Portugal
152. Qatar
153. North Korea
154. Romania
155. Rwanda
156. Saint Kitts and Nevis
157. Saint Lucia
158. San Marino
159. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
160. Solomon Islands
161. Samoa
162. American Samoa
163. Sao Tome and Principe
164. Senegal
165. Serbia
166. Seychelles
167. Sierra Leone
168. Singapore
169. Slovakia
170. Slovenia
171. Somalia
172. South Sudan
173. Sudan
174. Sri Lanka
175. Sweden
176. Switzerland
177. Suriname
178. Syria
179. Tajikistan
180. Chinese Taipei
181. Tanzania
182. Chad
183. Czech Republuc
184. Thailand
185. East Timor
186. Togo
187. Tonga
188. Trinidad and Tobago
189. Tunisia
190. Turkmenistan
191. Turkey
192. Tuvalu
193. Ukraine
194. Uruguay
195. Vanuatu
196. Venezuela
197. British Virgin Islands
198. Virgin Islands
199. Vietnam
200. Yemen
201. Zambia
202. Zimbabwe
203. Australia (2032 Olympics host)
204. United States (2034 Olympics host)
205. France (2024 Olympics host)
Athletes from Russia and Belarus are barred from participating in the Opening Ceremony because of the war in Ukraine.
