The groups for the women's Olympic soccer tournament have been released, and the United States got a tough one. France is currently the third-ranked team in the world, while New Zealand is 16th and Colombia is 24th. They got the best Pot 2 and Pot 4 teams, though they were spared a bit by drawing the Kiwis instead of Australia or China.
USWNT draws difficult group for 2016 Olympics
France is the toughest group stage opponent the United States could have drawn.
Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Groups for the women´s #Rio2016Football ⚽ @FIFAcom #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/D7JOlbRaxY
— Rio 2016 (@Rio2016_en) April 14, 2016
If you’re wondering where groups A-D are, you’re not alone. They’re in the men’s tournament. For whatever reason, the men’s groups are called A-D, but the women’s tournament groups are labeled as if they’re a continuation of that, not like they’re in a different tournament. It’s confusing.
The route to a medal is pretty easy for the USWNT if they win their group, but they’ll be in for a tough time if they don’t. If France wins the group and the United States finishes second, they’re looking at a likely quarterfinal matchup against Germany, who were dealing with injuries to their best players at the World Cup.
The tournament gets underway on Aug. 3 when the USWNT takes on New Zealand in Belo Horizonte. The gold medal game is on Aug. 19 in Rio de Janeiro. You can find a full schedule here.
