Matildas Olympics group, draw: Who are Australian women's football team playing at 2024 Games in Paris?

Joshua Mayne

Matildas Olympics group, draw: Who are Australian women's football team playing at 2024 Games in Paris? image

After multiple rounds of qualifying, the Matildas have officially booked their ticket to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The team's path to a potential medal has now been revealed, and it won't be easy.

The Sporting News has all the key details.

MORE: 'Never say die' attitude of Matildas masking serious problems | Matildas predicted Olympics lineup

Matildas Olympics draw: Which teams are in Australia's group?

The Matildas have been drawn in Group B.

This will see them play Germany, the USA and Zambia.

As a juggernaut in women's football, facing the United States will be a big challenge for Australia.

They have won the most gold medals at the Olympics (4) and will be looking for their fifth triumph in Paris.

However, the USA have dropped to No. 4 in the FIFA rankings, partly due to their Round of 16 exit in last year's World Cup.

Tony Gustavsson's side will also have their work cut out for them against Germany, who are ranked as the No. 5 team in the world.

They scored Olympic gold in 2016 and were runners-up at the UEFA Women's Championship in 2022.

Zambia - qualifiers for last year's World Cup - are also not pushovers.

When do the Matildas play at the Olympics? Schedule, fixtures, games for Paris 2024

The Matildas began their Olympics campaign with a poor result and showing against Germany, losing 3-0.

They managed to defeat Zambia in a must win match, coming back from 5-2 down to win 6-5 in an unbelievable game.

A potentially crucial final group game against the USA is scheduled for Thursday, August 1.

Despite the Games taking place in Paris, the Matildas will play two matches in Marseille and one in Nice, with all games beginning at 3:00 a.m. AEST.

Group B fixtures, schedule

DateTime (AEST)MatchLocation
Fri, Jul. 263 a.m.Germany 3-0 AustraliaOrange Velodrome
(Marseille, France)
Fri, Jul. 265 a.m.USA 3-0  ZambiaAllianz Riviera
(Nice, France)
Mon, Jul. 293 a.m.Australia 6-5 ZambiaAllianz Riviera
(Nice, France)
Mon, Jul. 295 a.m.USA 4-1 GermanyOrange Velodrome
(Marseille, France)
Thu, Aug. 13 a.m.Zambia vs. GermanyStade Geoffroy-Guichard
(Saint-Etienne, France)
Thu, Aug. 13 a.m.Australia vs. USAOrange Velodrome
(Marseille, France)

Which teams have qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games?

Twelve nations will contest the women's 2024 Summer Olympics football tournament in Paris. Alongside the host nation, all confederations were allotted two places in the competition, except for Oceania which received one.

Zambia and Nigeria took the final two spots at the tournament, winning the African qualifiers over Morocco and South Africa respectively.

A notable absentee is England, who are ranked second in the world by FIFA but did not qualify for the Olympics. The Lionesses finished second in their UEFA Nations League group, meaning they did not even reach the final stage to have a shot at reaching the Olympics.

NationConfederationFIFA rankQualified via
FranceUEFA3Host nation
SpainUEFA12024 UEFA Women's Nations League winner
GermanyUEFA52024 UEFA Women's Nations League third place
United StatesCONCACAF42022 CONCACAF W Championship winners
CanadaCONCACAF9CONCACAF Olympic playoff winner
JapanAFC72024 AFC Olympic qualifiers
AustraliaAFC122024 AFC Olympic qualifiers
New ZealandOFC282024 OFC Olympic qualifying winners
ZambiaCAF652024 CAF Olympic qualifiers
NigeriaCAF362024 CAF Olympic qualifiers

What is the Matildas' best result at the Olympics?

The Matildas are yet to win a medal at the Olympics.

They are currently trending upwards, though, finishing fourth – their best result yet – at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

Australia narrowly missed out on a medal that year, falling 4-3 to the USA in the bronze medal match.

Matildas 18-player squad for Paris Olympics

Each squad participating in the football tournament at the Olympics is allowed to name an 18-player squad, with four additional players to be selected on a 'stand-by' basis in case any of the 18 players are unable to play in the tournament.

Note all caps and goals are correct as of July 29, 2024.

*Denotes reserve player

NamePositionCapsGoalsClub
Mackenzie ArnoldGoalkeeper510Portland Thorns (USA)
Teegan MicahGoalkeeper170Liverpool (ENG)
Steph CatleyDefender1277Arsenal (ENG)
Clare HuntDefender220Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Alanna KennedyDefender12610Manchester City (ENG)
Ellie CarpenterDefender794Olympique Lyon (FRA)
Clare PolkinghorneDefender16716Kristianstads DFF (SWE)
Kaitlyn TorpeyDefender71San Diego Wave (USA)
Katrina GorryMidfielder10917West Ham United (ENG)
Kyra Cooney-CrossMidfielder470Arsenal (ENG)
Mary FowlerMidfielder5515Manchester City (ENG)
Clare WheelerMidfielder232Everton (ENG)
Tameka YallopMidfielder12313Brisbane Roar (AUS)
Emily van EgmondMidfielder14631San Diego Wave (USA)
Caitlin FoordForward12536Arsenal (ENG)
Hayley RasoForward8919Free agent
Michelle HeymanForward6827Canberra United (AUS)
Cortnee VineForward303NC Courage (USA)
Sharn Freier*Forward30Brisbane Roar (AUS)
Charli Grant*Defender251Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
Courtney Nevin*Defender270Leicester City (ENG)
Lydia Williams*Goalkeeper1040Melbourne Victory (AUS)

Joshua Mayne

Joshua Mayne Photo

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News Australia based in Sydney, Australia. He has previously worked as a newsreader at 2SER and journalist at Ministry of Sport. While Joshua’s main passions are football, rugby league, basketball and F1, he will watch any sport that's on. He is still waiting for Arsenal to win the Premier League again.