The U.S. ladies’s nationwide workforce will face Germany, Australia and both Zambia or Morocco within the group stage of this summer season’s Olympic soccer event in France, the place the People hope to return to the highest of the rostrum for the primary time in 12 years.
The U.S., winner of a file 4 Olympic titles and 4 World Cup crowns, hasn’t struck gold within the Summer time Video games since London in 2012.
The U.S. males, returning to the Olympics for the primary time since 2008, was grouped with France, New Zealand and the winner of a playoff between groups from the Asian and African confederations in Wednesday’s event draw, held within the Pulse constructing within the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.
The U.S. males have superior out of group play simply as soon as in 4 earlier journeys to the Olympics for the reason that event grew to become an age-group competitors in 1992.
The 12-team ladies’s subject is arguably the strongest in historical past, that includes each earlier World Cup and Olympic champion save Norway and 7 of the highest 10 groups within the FIFA world rankings. The U.S., which can play in Group B, will open play in opposition to both Zambia or Morocco, then face Germany, a two-time World Cup winner and the 2016 Olympic champion, and Australia, a quarterfinalist in final summer season’s World Cup.
The sphere additionally consists of Spain, the reigning World Cup champion, and Canada, the defending Olympic champion. Two extra groups will be part of the sector following the African qualifying event subsequent month.
The 16-team subject for the lads’s event, a U-23 competitors, is weaker, that includes simply two nations — Argentina and France — ranked within the high 11 and two others — New Zealand and the Dominican Republic — ranked exterior the highest 100. The U.S. will start play in opposition to France, the host nation, in Group A.
Two nations — Ukraine and the Dominican Republic — shall be making their Olympic debuts, whereas Israel hasn’t performed within the Video games since 1976, when it was an beginner competitors. Three different groups will qualify within the U-23 Asian Cup, which begins subsequent month, with yet one more qualifier coming from an Asian-African confederation playoff.
Rosters for the lads’s event are restricted to gamers ages 23 and youthful, except three older gamers per workforce.
Soccer is certainly one of 4 sports activities, together with archery, handball and rugby sevens, that may begin earlier than the Video games formally open July 26. The lads’s competitors will start on July 24, with the ladies kicking off a day later. The lads’s gold medal match is scheduled for Aug. 9 and the ladies’s closing for Aug. 10, a day earlier than the closing ceremonies.
The tournaments shall be performed in seven cities all through France, from Paris within the north to Marseille on the Mediterrenean coast.
Paris Olympics soccer teams:
MEN
Group A
France, New Zealand, U.S., AFC-CAF playoff winner
Group B
Argentina, Morocco, Asian qualifier, Ukraine
Group C
Asian qualier, Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic
Group D
Asian qualifier, Paraguay, Mali, Israel
WOMEN
Group A
France, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand
Group B
U.S., Zambia/Morocco winner, Germany, Australia
Group C
Spain, Japan, South Africa-Nigeria winner, Brazil
