The Matildas’ hopes of profitable a historic Olympic gold medal will face an early check after they have been drawn alongside heavyweights United States and Germany within the group stage on the Paris Video games.
The US has gained Olympic gold 4 occasions since ladies’s soccer was first contested on the 1996 Atlanta Video games and is fourth on the FIFA world rankings.
Germany, ranked fifth on the planet, gained the 2016 Olympic event in Rio.
Group B can even embrace both Zambia or Morocco, who’re scheduled to play in a two-leg African play-off subsequent month.
The Matildas achieved their finest end at an Olympics once they positioned fourth in Tokyo three years in the past.
They have been fourth finally yr’s World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, and are twelfth on the FIFA rankings.
The Matildas play Germany of their opening match on July 26, whereas they’ll face the US of their ultimate group conflict on August 1 AEST.
Their three group matches will all be staged in Marseille.
World champion Spain was drawn alongside Japan, Brazil, and both Nigeria and South Africa in Group C.
Canada, who gained gold in Tokyo, will face host nation France, Colombia and New Zealand in Group A.
The soccer event will start two days earlier than the Paris opening ceremony, with the ladies’s ultimate concluding the Video games on August 11 AEST.
The Olyroos are nonetheless an opportunity of qualifying for the boys’s event in Paris.
The Matildas’ preparations for Paris will proceed with a pleasant towards Mexico in San Antonio, Texas, subsequent month.
They can even meet China in Adelaide and Sydney on Could 31 and June 3 respectively.
The Matildas confirmed their Olympic berth with victory over Uzbekistan in a two-leg play-off final month.