Olympics opening ceremony order, explained: How Parade of Nations works and why Greece always enters first

A tradition over a century old, the Parade of Nations is a trademark feature of the Olympic opening ceremony. Beginning at the 1908 London Games, the event is a chance for every participating nation to showcase their athletes and culture through the presentation. 

Thousands of athletes will embark on the Seine this year in boats, taking a nice ride through the center of Paris among throngs of fans in a reimagined opening ceremony. The parade takes place in a very specific order that honors the tradition of the Games, as well as its current and future hosts.

The scene will be a spectacle, and Paris will light up with the colors of every country that embarked on its Olympic journey this year. Find out what the order of the parade entails below.

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Olympics opening ceremony order, explained

Countries have always entered the Parade of Nations alphabetically in the language of the host nation. For example, Team USA entered the Mexico Games in 1968 at the beginning of the parade as the "Estados Unidos," but at Beijing 2008, the US entered 139th based on the Chinese alphabet. This year, the list is determined in French.

The host nation traditionally enters last. Additionally, at the 2020 Tokyo Games, a new tradition was born where the upcoming Games host entered second- and third-to-last. For the Paris games, that means the U.S. (Los Angeles 2028) will enter before France, and Australia (Brisbane 2032) will enter before the U.S. 

The Refugee Olympic Team has entered second, after Greece, since the 2020 Games, as well. Individuals on this team compete under the Olympic flag. Russian and Belarusian athletes, competing as Individual Neutral athletes, will not take part in the Parade of Nations. 

Why does Greece always enter the Parade of Nations first?

The only other exception to the alphabetical rule is Greece. Starting at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, coaches and athletes from Greece entered first in order to honor the birthplace of the modern Olympics. The only time since that Greece has not led the procession was in 2004 when Athens hosted the Summer Games.

Order of countries in Olympic opening ceremony