USMNT, USWNT Olympic Teams learn group stage draws

The U.S. men’s and women’s olympic national teams learned their group stage draws for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Marko Mitrovic’s squad was paired in Group A with France, New Zealand, and a playoff winner from either the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) or Confederation of African Football (CAF) representative Guinea. The Americans will kick off their group stage schedule on July 24 against Les Bleus before also playing on July 27 against New Zealand and July 30 against the AFC playoff winner of Guinea.

Mitrovic’s roster will mainly feature players under the age of 23-years-old, with three players above that age allowed. Gianluca Busio, Cade Cowell, Jack McGlynn, and Esmir Bajraktarevic are among the players called in for upcoming international duty this month.

The USMNT are set to face Thierry Henry’s France this month in a pre-Olympic friendly before also taking on Guinea.

It marks the USMNT’s first Olympic involvement since 2008.

“It’s an important day for every team to learn their opponents and the challenges that await in the Olympic Games,” said Mitrović. “We know that this is an elite tournament, with 16 elite teams that are the best in their confederations. Now, we can picture the opponents, the cities and the stadiums where we’ll play. The excitement is here. We will keep that excitement over the next four months of work, preparing in the best way possible to convert that excitement into achievement on the field.”

USWNT paired with Germany, Australia, playoff winner

New U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes will make her competitive international debut this summer in Paris.

The USWNT will square off with Germany, Australia, and a playoff winner from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Group B. Matches are scheduled for July 25, 28, and 31, FIFA announced.

Unlike the men’s tournament, which has roster restrictions, the women’s rosters do not have any restrictions on their rosters.

The USWNT have won gold at the Olympics on four different occasions, but are coming off a bronze medal showing in 2020. Lindsey Horan, Sophia Smith, Rose Lavelle, and Trinity Rodman headline the USWNT’s leading stars heading into this summer’s competition.

“Olympic tournaments, with the limited amount of rest and travel between matches, present scenarios in which we will be tested mentally and physically, and it’s up to us to navigate those hurdles to get to the top of the podium,” said USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore.

“Every draw in a world championship tournament is challenging and we have great respect for all three of our group opponents, all of whom have earned their way, or in the case of the African team, will earn their way into this Olympics through tough competition in their own Confederations. With our path and opponents now set, I know the team we bring to Olympics will be excited, highly motivated and prepared to take on everything we encounter in France.”

The Americans are set for SheBelieves Cup involvement this April in Columbus, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia respectively.