By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
African representatives in the forthcoming Paris 2024 Olympics women’s football tournaments have been drawn in tough groups.
The two eventually African countries to pick the tickets to the global football showpiece will face reigning FIFA Women’s World Cup champions Spain, Brazil, Japan, Germany and 4-time Olympics champions United States of America (USA) in the group stage.
Prompt News reports that the draw for the men’s and women’s tournaments at this summer’s Olympic Games held at a ceremony in Saint-Denis, France last night pitched Nigeria or South Africa with World Cup winners Spain, Japan and Brazil in Group C, although CAF final qualifiers will hold from April 1 to 9, 2024.
Also drawn in a tough group is the second CAF representatives, Morocco or Zambia that will compete in Group B comprising USA, who hold a record four Gold Medals in football; fifth-ranked Germany and World Cup semi-finalist Australia.
Defending Olympics champions Canada were drawn in Group A and will face France, Colombia and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, in the men’s tournament, the USA will face the host nation France and New Zealand in Group A, plus the winner of a play-off between teams from the Asian and the African confederations.
World champions Argentina were drawn in Group B with Morocco, Ukraine and a qualifier to be confirmed from the AFC.
Spain, runner-up in Tokyo, are in Group C along with Egypt, 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.
Men’s Olympic football is contested between national U23 teams with three 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 men’s final on August 9 and the women’s final the next day.
It will be staged across several venues in France including Paris, Nantes, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Saint-Etienne and Lyon.
Women’s Olympic Football groups:
*Group A: France, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand
*Group B: USA, CAF 2 (Zambia or Morocco), Germany, Australia
*Group C: Spain, Japan, CAF 1 (Nigeria or Morocco), Brazil
Men’s Olympic football groups
*Group A: France, USA, AFC 4 or Guinea, New Zealand
*Group B: Argentina, Morocco, AFC 3, Ukraine
*Group C: AFC 2, Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic
*Group D: AFC 1, Paraguay, Mali, Israel
