USWNT land Germany, Australia Olympic draws, USMNT to face France
coach Emma Hayes will lead the United States women’s soccer team in a challenging start at the Paris Olympics, where they will face strong opponents Germany and Australia in Group B.
The draw, held in Saint-Denis, also includes a potential matchup against either Morocco or Zambia from the African Football Confederation.
Hayes, who will assume her role as U.S. head coach in May after concluding her season with Chelsea, aims to continue her success after winning 14 major trophies with the club, including six Women’s Super League titles.
Currently challenging for a quadruple of trophies in her final year with Chelsea, Hayes will be looking to make a significant impact with the national team.
In the interim, Twila Kilgore is serving as the United States’ coach, having recently led the team to victory in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Hayes will join the team as they prepare to face their tough competition in Paris.
“The bottom line is we’re excited to have a path, to know who we’re playing for the most part, to be able to start working on specific game plans,” Kilgore said following the draw. “But also just to know the logistical path. There’s so much that goes into an Olympics with a short turnaround and congested games.”
The U.S. hasn’t won Olympic gold since 2012 and is coming off a disappointing Women’s World Cup last year when it suffered its earliest exit from the tournament after being knocked out by Sweden on penalties in the round of 16.
It had never finished worse than third at previous World Cups. Hayes has established herself as one of the sport’s leading coaches. She can further add to her record by winning a clean sweep of trophies this season—including the Champions League, the one competition she is yet to deliver at Chelsea.
Defending champion Canada was drawn in Group A with host France, Colombia, and New Zealand. Before winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Games, Canada won back-to-back bronze medals in London and Brazil.
“We know more than ever that there’s not an easy game in the women’s game, no matter what the ranking is,” Canada coach Bev Priestman said. “We know the other routes we could have gone down. Pleased, excited, but taking nothing for granted.” World Cup winner Spain is in Group C with Japan and Brazil. Nigeria or South Africa will join that group as another CAF qualifier.