According to news source, The Associated Press.

PARIS

The American women’s soccer team will play against Germany and Australia at the Paris Olympics as new coach Emma Hayes aims to begin her tenure with a solid performance.

The ceremony for the draws of the men’s and women’s soccer tournaments took place in Saint-Denis on Wednesday.

The four-time champion, who holds the record for most gold medals, will face Germany, ranked fifth, and Australia, a World Cup semifinalist, in Group B. The remaining team in the group will either be Morocco or Zambia.

After completing the season with Chelsea, Hayes will begin her duties as the U.S. coach in May. In her last year with the team, she is striving for a quadruple title victory. During her time with Chelsea, she has already secured 14 prestigious trophies, including six Women’s Super League championships.

Twila Kilgore currently serves as the interim coach for the United States team, until Hayes is able to join. Kilgore was also the team’s leader for their recent victory in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In summary, we are thrilled to have a clear direction and to know our opponents at the Olympics. This allows us to begin strategizing and preparing for specific games. Additionally, it is helpful to have the logistical details of the event organized, as there is a lot involved in a short and busy Olympic schedule.

In the last Olympics, the United States did not win a gold medal and is now recovering from a disappointing result in the Women’s World Cup. They were eliminated in the round of 16 by Sweden on penalty kicks, marking their earliest exit from the tournament ever. In previous World Cups, they had always placed at least third.

Hayes has solidified her position as a prominent coach. She has the opportunity to enhance her reputation by achieving a clean sweep of titles this season – including the Champions League, which is the only competition that she has yet to win with Chelsea.

Defending champion Canada was drawn into Group A with host France, Colombia and New Zealand. Before winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Games, Canada won back-to-back bronze medals in London and Brazil.

According to Canada coach Bev Priestman, we now understand that there are no simple matches in women’s sports, regardless of the team’s ranking. We considered other options but are content and enthusiastic, yet not complacent.

The country that won the World Cup, Spain, is placed in Group C along with Japan and Brazil. Nigeria or South Africa will also be part of this group.

The male team from the U.S. will compete against France at the Paris Games since they were placed in the same group as the host country for the men’s tournament.

The United States is making their first appearance at the Games since 2008 in Beijing and will face a potentially challenging competition as they have been placed in the same group as France and Thierry Henry in Group A.

Additionally, the group will consist of New Zealand and the victor of a playoff between representatives from the Asian and African confederations.

Argentina, the reigning world champion, was placed in Group B alongside Morocco, Ukraine, and a team from Asia that has yet to be determined.

Spain, the second-place team in Tokyo, is grouped in Group C with Egypt, Dominican Republic, and another team from Asia that qualified.

Pool D includes Paraguay, Mali, Israel, and a team from Asia.

In Olympic men’s soccer, only players under 23 years old are permitted to compete. However, each team is allowed to have three players over the age limit on their roster.

The soccer competition starts 48 hours prior to the Olympic kick-off event on July 24. The women’s championship game will take place on August 10, marking the first time it will be part of the Olympic lineup.

Football matches will take place in Paris, Nantes, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Saint-Étienne, and Lyon.

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Additional coverage of AP soccer can be found at: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer.

Further information on AP soccer can be accessed at: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer.

Source: wralsportsfan.com