The U.S. women's national soccer team will face Australia, Germany, Morocco or Zambia in Group B of the 2024 Paris Olympics, FIFA announced Wednesday at the tournament's draw in Parseville, near Paris.
The tournament will be the Americans' first official game under incoming head coach Emma Hayes. She takes over the team after last year's worst result in World Cup history.
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Tournament play begins July 25 in Nice, with the U.S. facing either Morocco or Zambia in a two-leg playoff in April. The Americans have never played with either team before.
The U.S. won four of the first five Olympic Games for women's soccer, but is aiming for its first gold medal since the 2012 London Games. He won a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
The United States recently fell to fourth place in the FIFA rankings, its worst ranking since the rankings were launched in 2003. But the United States was one of three seeded teams for the tournament, along with World Cup champion Spain and host France. England, ranked second in the world, failed to qualify for the Olympics.
The United States has a record of 23 wins, 5 losses, and 7 draws against Germany. Together, the two teams have won six of the nine Women's World Cup titles. The two teams have only met once before at the Olympics, in the 2004 semifinals, with the United States winning 2-1 in overtime on a goal from Heather O'Reilly.
Australia has only beaten the US in one of their 34 meetings. The two teams ended in a scoreless draw in the group stage of the previous Olympics, and faced off again in the bronze medal match, with the USA winning 4-3.
Morocco and Zambia each made their first World Cup appearances last year. Morocco has never qualified for the Olympic women's soccer tournament. Zambia participated in the 2021 tournament for the first time.
Defending Olympic women's champion Canada will face Colombia, New Zealand and host France in Group A of the women's tournament. Spain will join Japan, Brazil and the winner of April's play-off between Nigeria and South Africa in Group C.
The draw for the men's Olympics was also held on Wednesday, and the U.S. men will be competing in this summer's Olympics for the first time since 2008, after missing out on the previous three editions.
The U.S. is tied in Group A with hosts France, New Zealand, and Guinea, the winner of a playoff between the fourth-place African qualifier and the fourth-place Asian qualifier.
The Olympic men's soccer tournament is an U-23 tournament. Each team is allowed his three overage players.