USMNT face France in Olympic opener as USWNT handed tough draw
The United States men’s team will face France at the Paris Games after being drawn in the same group as the host nation, while the US women face tough matchups against Australia and Germany.
The USMNT are competing at the Olympics for the first time since Beijing in 2008 and were drawn on Wednesday alongside France, who will be coached by Thierry Henry, in Group A. Also in the group are New Zealand and the winner of a playoff between teams from the Asian Football Confederation and the African Football Confederation.
In the men’s draw, each team will bring a 22-man roster where the players must be U-23, with only three being allowed over the age limit. The status of Kylian Mbappé remains up in the air. Mbappé has said he wants to play in the tournament, but a proposed summer transfer to Real Madrid could scupper his plans. The Spanish club will not be releasing their players for the Games, though it’s unclear if they will make an exception for Mbappé, who would be a key player.
“The Olympics ... My dad would wake me up at night to watch Carl Lewis ... I cried when we did not qualify, even if I had won the World Cup before,” Henry said at the draw ceremony. “We haven’t won it in 40 years. It’s not easy, but we will try everything.”
Men's Groups
Group A: France, United States, Winner of intercontinental play-off (AFC team v Guinea), New Zealand
Group B: Argentina, Morocco, AFC team, Ukraine
Group C: AFC team, Spain, Egypt, the Dominican Republic
Group D: AFC team, Paraguay, Mali, Israel
Women's Groups
Group A: France, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand
Group B: USA, Zambia or Morocco, Germany, Australia
Group C: Spain, Japan, Nigeria or South Africa, Brazil
Argentina were drawn in Group B of the men’s tournament with Morocco, Ukraine and a qualifier to be confirmed from the AFC. Spain, the runners-up in Tokyo, are in Group C along with Egypt, the Dominican Republic and another qualifier from the AFC, which is yet to be confirmed. Group D features Paraguay, Mali and Israel as well as a final qualifier from the AFC. The top two teams in each group will progress to the quarter-finals.
The US women face Germany and Australia, ranked fifth and 12th in the world respectively. The group will be completed by either Zambia or Morocco, who face each other in the African playoff next month. The USWNT won Olympic gold four times between 1996 and 2012 but went out in the last eight in 2016 and claimed bronze at the Tokyo Games. They are also coming off a disappointing last-16 exit at the 2023 World Cup. Germany were Olympic champions in 2016.
The Paris Games will mark the first tournament for the USWNT’s new coach, Emma Hayes. The US and Germany have met once before at the Olympics, when the Americans beat their European rivals in the 2004 semi-finals. Australia reached the semi-final of last year’s World Cup and lost to the US 4-3 in the bronze medal match at the last Olympics.
In the other groups in the women’s draw, the holders Canada face hosts France, Colombia and New Zealand in Group A. In Group C, Brazil and Japan will face the winner of a playoff between Nigeria and South Africa. The top two teams in each group advance to the quarter-finals, alongside the two best third-placed teams.
The tournament will begin two days before the opening ceremony of the Games on 24 July, with the women’s final concluding the tournament on 10 August. It is the first time the women’s final will conclude the soccer tournament.
