The women’s football tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics is considered a major competition in the sport, close to the level of the World Cup. Unlike the men’s side that features 16 nations, three groups of four provide teams with significantly more margin of error to qualify for the knockout phase while also yielding stronger match-ups. All four members of Group B are returning to the competition and should be considered in contention for medals. The United States, Zambia, Germany, and Australia will contest six matches spread across Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome, Nice’s Stade de Nice, and Saint-Étienne’s Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
**Schedule**
**Thursday, July 25th**
– Germany vs. Australia – 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific
– United States vs. Zambia – 3:00 p.m. Eastern, 12:00 p.m. Pacific
**Sunday, July 28th**
– Australia vs. Zambia – 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific
– United States vs. Germany – 3:00 p.m. Eastern, 12:00 p.m. Pacific
**Wednesday, July 31st**
– Australia vs. United States – 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific
– Zambia vs. Germany – 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific
**United States**
Emma Hayes assumed the manager role in May and jumped into the fire with a major competition, attempting to carry her long-term success at Chelsea to the international level. The program is the most-decorated Olympic competitor with four gold medals but has failed to register a first-place finish since 2012. The team is in the midst of a rebuild with a younger generation stepping into the limelight, and this tournament provides the opportunity to reestablish a spot atop of the mountain. Over the past year, the attacking core has been building the necessary chemistry that has been lacking in recent times, although the level of opponents will be significantly higher in France than in the two disappointing July friendlies.
**FIFA Ranking:** 5
**Recent Record:** The USWNT qualified for the competition by winning the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship. Earlier this year, interim manager Twila Kilgore claimed titles at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup and SheBelieves Cup, notching victories over Brazil (1-0) and Canada (2-2 [5-4]) in the respective finals. Pre-tournament friendlies resulted in victories against South Korea (4-0, 3-0), a win over Mexico (1-0), and a draw with Costa Rica (0-0).
**Odds of Winning Group:** Favorite
**One to Watch:** Following the World Cup, Jaedyn Shaw made her senior international debut and quickly became a key player for the squad in search of attacking answers. The 19-year-old San Diego Wave attacker has scored five goals in 2024, including four at the Gold Cup. She can line up at striker, winger, and the ten, capable of creating with both feet, penetrating with aggressive dribbling, and making an outsized impact on the defensive side of the game with a tireless work rate. Coaches praise her ability to “position herself between lines and play through balls” by innately “seeing things other people don’t see.”
**Zambia**
The Copper Queens are on a roll by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time and reaching the two straight Olympic Games, overcoming the death of striker Norin Betani during the campaign. After two consecutive major tournament runs that ended in the group stage, the obvious next step is reaching the knockout phase and perhaps progressing even further. Embattled manager Bruce Mwape has boasted of a “master plan” to overcome a robust trio of opponents, likely continuing to rely upon the “principles of direct, fast, [and] vertical football” and “constant rapid ball circulation.”
**FIFA Ranking:** 64
**Recent Record:** Zambia qualified for the competition by traversing through the four-round, single-elimination 2024 CAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament that separated the 25 entrants into two discrete brackets. Following a bye and a withdrawal by Mali, the team defeated Ghana (1-0, 3-3) and Morocco (1-2, 2-0). A recent friendly resulted in a draw with New Zealand (1-1).
**Odds of Winning Group:** In the Running
**One to Watch:** For the foreseeable future, Racheal Kundananji wears the heavy crown of “the world’s most expensive female footballer” after transferring from Madrid CFF to Bay FC for $780,000. Despite the high level of pressure to live up to the billing, she is still adjusting to her new surroundings with two goals and one assist in 12 appearances, perhaps below the early hopes of the expansion National Women’s Soccer League side. The 23-year-old is praised for her “dynamic attacking qualities and incredible physical profile” with great “composure in front of goal and a natural ability to score with different types of finishes and from various locations.”
**Germany**
The 2016 gold-medal winners are back in the tournament after failing to qualify for the 2020 competition. This is far from the dominant program that has also claimed two World Cup titles, unable to emerge from the group stage at the 2023 edition. In an interim role, Horst Hrubesch took the reins for a second time due to Martina Voss-Tecklenburg enduring “protracted sick leave,” although she has since left with “immediate effect.” Relying on “a combination of ball dominance and verticality,” the player pool still possesses a deep level of talent but is perhaps lacking the multitude of world-class stars that enabled the team to dispatch opponents during the glory years.
**FIFA Ranking:** 4
**Recent Record:** Germany punched a ticket to the competition by finishing third at the UEFA Women’s Nations League Finals, falling to Olympic hosts France (1-2) before downing the Netherlands (2-0). A packed schedule of Euro 2025 qualifying has involved wins against Austria (3-2, 4-0), a split with Iceland (3-1, 0-3), and a pair of victories over Poland (4-1, 3-1).
**Odds of Winning Group:** In the Running
**One to Watch:** Belgian-born Kathrin Hendrich made her senior international debut in 2014 and brings a balanced game to the back line with the technical skill to dominate possession. The 32-year-old VfL Wolfsburg defender is among the best in the Bundesliga and praised as “fast, strong in duels, and difficult to get past.” In addition to providing veteran leadership, she takes an active role in possession while also regaining the ball with well-time sliding tackles that shut down opposing counter-attacks. Whether on the inside or the outside of the formation, her progression is an asset, stepping into the available space and challenging the opponent with long-range distribution.
**Australia**
The Matildas are enjoying the fruits of a golden generation with fourth-place finishes at the 2020 Olympic Games and 2023 World Cup, but few opportunities at glory remain for this particular group. Appointed in September of 2020, Tony Gustavsson endures as the manager despite having his tactics criticized and persistent rumors of pursuing other positions, including the same role with the Sweden Men’s National Team. The tactics tend to be varied, with Total Football Analysis noting that “build-up play in the attacking phase largely depends on the type of opponent,” with the pacey front-line constantly searching for openings. In what proved to be a shrewd strategy due to Sam Kerr being out with an injury, there has been a concerted effort to “avoid an overreliance on [the] striker by giving time to squad players whenever possible.”
**FIFA Ranking:** 12
**Recent Record:** Australia qualified for the competition by first finishing atop Group A in the AFC’s Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament with a 3-0-0 record, taking down Iran (2-0), Philippines (8-0), and Chinese Taipei (3-0) and then triumphing in the two-legged third-round aggregate series over Uzbekistan (3-0, 10-0). Recent friendly results include a win over Mexico (2-0) and a draw and a victory against China (1-1, 2-0).
**Odds of Winning Group:** In the Running
**One to Watch:** The veterans may form the core of the squad, but Mary Fowler is a talented member of the next generation who has already been on the roster for three major tournaments. The 21-year-old Manchester City attacker is praised as “technically-gifted with great vision and able to…
