BEVERLY HILLS, April 21, (THEWILL) – The 28 teams that have qualified for the Olympic football tournaments discovered their group opponents after the official draw was conducted at the Home of FIFA in Zurich on Wednesday.
Group G in the women’s tournament looks immeasurably mouth-watering. Not only does it feature the two co-hosts of the next FIFA Women’s World Cup, Australia and New Zealand, but it also gives USA the chance for Olympic revenge over a Sweden side that eliminated them from Rio 2016 on penalties.
Japan will kick off the women’s finals against Canada, with Great Britain and Chile making up the section, while China PR, Brazil, Zambia and Netherlands comprise the other pool.
In the men’s event, Brazil and Germany, who faced off in the Rio 2016 final, were sent into a group also comprising Côte d’Ivoire, Saudi Arabia, while Egypt, Spain, Argentina and Australia make up another intriguing section.
The women’s finalists will fight for the gold medal at Tokyo’s iconic new Olympic Stadium, which will also be the setting for the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies. Sapporo, Miyagi, Kashima, Saitama and Yokohama (Men’s Final) will contribute to the Olympic passion by hosting exciting games until 7 August 2021.
The live-streamed show was hosted by British TV presenter and journalist, Samantha Johnson. The draws were conducted by Jaime Yarza, FIFA Director of Tournaments, and Sarai Bareman, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer. They were assisted by two FIFA Legends: Lindsay Tarpley, member of the USA women’s national team and two-time Olympic gold medallist (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), and Ryan Nelsen, captain of the New Zealand Olympic squad in 2008 and London 2012.
Both the men’s and women’s Olympic Football Tournaments will be played in a group stage, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and bronze medal and gold medal matches.
Draw results
Men’s Olympic Football Tournament
Group A: Japan, South Africa, Mexico, France.
Group B: New Zealand, Korea Republic, Honduras, Romania.
Group C: Egypt, Spain, Argentina, Australia.
Group D: Brazil, Germany, Côte d’Ivoire, Saudi Arabia.
Women’s Olympic Football Tournament
Group E: Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Chile.
Group F: China PR, Brazil, Zambia, Netherlands.
Group G: Sweden, USA, Australia, New Zealand.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
