Matildas’ Olympics group revealed, will play USA, GER, and CAF team

Australia came into the 2024 Paris Olympics as one of the favourites. Now some sites have them not qualifying from the group. 

The Matildas now know who they will be playing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A draw on Thursday in Paris revealed that Australia will take on the US, Germany, and either Zambia or Morocco in Group B in Nice, Marseille, and Saint-Étienne this July.  

‘Group of Death’ for Matildas

The Matildas’ Olympic Group immediately started dominating headlines after the draw, with women’s soccer experts deeming it this years’ ‘Group of Death’. The Matildas will play Germany, then the winner of the CAF Olympic playoff between Zambia and Morocco, and finally, take on the US.  
 
Germany are ranked fifth in Fifa’s world rankings. They took on England at the 2022 Women’s Euros in the UK. The German’s lost that final, but no team has won more European Championships than the DFB-Frauen.  
 
Zambia and Morocco are not women’s soccer powerhouses, like the US and Germany, but they have been known to punch above their weight. The most expensive women’s soccer player in history, Racheal Kundananji, suits up for Zambia. Morocco, meanwhile, stunned Colombia at the 2023 Women’s World Cup and advanced from a difficult group over Germany.  
 
Team USA is the most dominant women’s soccer team in history. They are in a bit of a slump now, but a recent win at the 2024 Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup could propel them to success at the Olympics.  

Olympics soccer betting odds

Any one of Australia’s potential opponents could cause them major problems. As a result of this, the Matildas’ Olympic soccer betting odds have taken a huge hit.  
 
The Matildas came into the tournament as one of the four favourites. They now look more like longshots with most betting sites predicting them to come in third behind the US and Germany.  
 
The draw is not the only reason the sportsbooks have turned on the Matildas. Star forward Sam Kerr is expected to miss the tournament after tearing her ACL during a Chelsea training session earlier this year.  
 
While Australia’s odds have taken a major hit, Spain, the tournament favourite, look to be even more of a lock after the draw. The Spanish were drawn into a group with Japan and Brazil, who are tough sides, but if they top the group, they should have a relatively easy path to the final.  

U23s to compete in Men’s tournament

While Australia’s eyes will surely be on the Matildas at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Men’s U23 team could also be competing in July and August’s big tournament.  
 
This April, the ‘Olyroos’ will play in the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar. The top three teams from this tournament will qualify directly for the 2024 Olympics. The fourth-best team will play an AFC–CAF play-off match shortly before the tournament kicks off in July.

The Olyroos have been drawn into a group with Qatar, Jordan, and Indonesia. This is not an easy group, but they should qualify and stand a good chance of going to the Olympics with the Matildas.