Matildas Paris Olympics 2024: Australian women’s soccer team to face US and Germany in group stage

The Matildas have been dealt a horrible hand as they strive to win their first Olympic medal.

The draw for the women’s and men’s soccer tournaments for the Paris Games was held at a ceremony in Saint-Denis on Thursday (AEDT).

Tony Gustavsson’s side was placed in Group B along with the United States, Germany and a yet-to-be-determined representative from the African Football Confederation.

The World Cup semi-finalists, who defeated Uzbekistan 13-0 on aggregate last month to book their ticket, will take on the record four-time gold medal-winning American outfit.

Currently ranked world No.4, they are now coached by Sam Kerr’s former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes.

They will also meet the fifth-ranked Germans and either Morocco or Zambia.

Defending champion Canada were drawn in Group A with hosts France, Colombia and New Zealand.

World Cup winner Spain is in Group C with Japan and Brazil while Nigeria or South Africa will join that group as another CAF qualifier.

Hosts France will play the US in Marseille to kick off the men’s tournament on July 24, two days before the opening ceremony in Paris.

New Zealand and the winner of a play-off between Guinea and the fourth-placed team in the Asian qualifying competition, possibly Australia’s Olyroos, complete Group A.

The US are competing at the Games for the first time since Beijing 2008 and face a potentially daunting first-up task against a side coached by soccer great Thierry Henry.

“The Olympics ... my dad would wake me up at night to watch Carl Lewis,” Henry said at the draw ceremony.

“I cried when we did not qualify, even if I had won the World Cup before.

“We didn’t have a preference (for the draw), the first goal is to get through the group phase and see what happens on the other side.

“We haven’t won it in 40 years. It’s not easy, but we will try everything.”

France claimed gold in Los Angeles back in 1984.

World champions Argentina were drawn in Group B with Morocco, Ukraine and an AFC qualifier.

Spain, runners-up in Tokyo, are in Group C along with Egypt, Dominican Republic and another qualifier from the AFC.

Group D features Paraguay, Mali and Israel as well as a final qualifier from the AFC.

Two-time defending champions Brazil failed to qualify.

Men’s Olympic soccer is comprised of national U23 teams with three roster spots available for players over the age limit.

The tournament will begin two days before the opening ceremony of the Games on July 24, with the women’s final concluding the event on August 10.

It is the first time the women’s final will wrap up the soccer tournament.

It will be staged across several venues in France including Paris, Nantes, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Saint-Etienne and Lyon.

— With Reuters.