In the last Olympics, the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, the U.S. went second-to-last as athletes paraded down the Seine River. The logic there was similar: Los Angeles is hosting the next summer Olympics in 2028.

One of the biggest moments at an Olympic Opening Ceremony is what’s known as the Parade of Nations, where athletes from the more than 90 participating countries enter with their flag. But the order they march in is not what you might think — and the U.