The U.S. Women’s National Team’s quest for Olympic gold this summer will take the Americans through a challenging group featuring an opponent they know all too well.
Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand have been paired with the Americans in Group G of the summer tournament, following the draw on Wednesday morning.
The USWNT will kick off group stage play on July 21st in Tokyo against the Swedes, the same side who eliminated the Americans at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Saitama and Kashima will also serve at hosting venues for the USWNT in group stage play, where the Americans will face New Zealand and Australia respectively on July 24th and 27th.
The USWNT will be seeking its fifth Olympic title and its first since 2012 after watching Germany capture the 2016 crown in Brazil. After lifting the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Americans head into the Olympics as the favorites.
Host Japan will kick off the Women’s Finals against Canada, with Great Britain and Chile making up the section of Group E, Group F consists of China PR, Brazil, Zambia and the Netherlands, which will be favored to make a deep run after reaching the 2019 World Cup final before losing the Americans.
The top two finishers from each group, along with the highest ranked third place finishers, will reach the quarterfinals, scheduled for July 30. The semifinals are slated for August 2, before the bronze medal match on August 5 and the gold medal game on August 6.
Here is a closer look at the groups:
Group E: Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Chile.
Group F: China PR, Brazil, Zambia, Netherlands.
Group G: Sweden, USA, Australia, New Zealand.