France will face the United States and New Zealand in the men’s football competitions of 2024 Olympics as the draw for the tournament took place at the headquarters of the Paris Organising Committee in Saint-Denis.
In the men’s competition, the host nation France, along with the United States, New Zealand, and the winner of the play-off between Guinea and an Asian team were drawn into Group A, theoretically easing their path to the next round.
The ceremony was attended by football luminaries including Arsene Wenger, Thierry Henry, and Didier Drogba. Former Arsenal and Barcelona striker Henry currently heads the French Olympic team, reports Xinhua.
A total of 16 teams will compete in the men’s football tournament at the Paris Olympics, with 12 teams already confirmed. The remaining four slots will be decided based on the results of next month’s U23 Asian Cup. The top three finishers at the U23 Asian Cup will directly qualify for the Olympics, while the fourth-placed team will face Guinea from Africa in a play-off for the last Olympic spot.
The Chinese Olympic team is set to participate in the U23 Asian Cup, facing tough competition in a group with Japan, South Korea, and The United Arab Emirates, making Olympic qualification challenging.
On the women’s side, 12 teams will compete at the Olympics, with 10 already confirmed. The final two spots will be determined through the African Zone qualifiers.
The football competitions of the Paris Olympic Games will take place from July 24 (two days before the Opening Ceremony) to August 10, across seven cities: Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, and Saint-Etienne, with both finals being held at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Here are the full results of the draw
Men’s:
Group A: France, United States, the winner of the play-off between Guinea and an Asian team, New Zealand
Group B: Argentina, Morocco, Ukraine, the third-place team from the U23 Asian Cup
Group C: Spain, Egypt, the Dominican Republic, the second-place team from the U23 Asian Cup
Group D: Paraguay, Mali, Israel, the first-place team from the U23 Asian Cup
Women’s:
Group A: France, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand
Group B: United States, Germany, Australia, the second-place team from the African Zone qualifiers
Group C: Spain, Japan, Brazil, the first-place team from the African Zone qualifiers