March 20, 2024 – 2:12 PM PDT
PARIS (Reuters) – Hosts France will play the United States to kick off the men’s soccer tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics after the two teams were drawn together on Wednesday.
The game will be played in Marseille on July 24, two days before the opening ceremony in Paris. New Zealand and the winner of a playoff between Guinea and the fourth-placed team in the Asian qualifying competition complete Group A.
Argentina, who won the title in 2004 and 2008, were drawn with Morocco, Ukraine and a yet-to-be-determined Asian qualifier in Group B.
Two-times defending champions Brazil will not take part in the men’s tournament after failing to qualify.
“The Olympics… my dad would wake me up at night to watch Carl Lewis… I cried when we did not qualify, even if I had won the World Cup before,” France’s 1998 World Cup winner Thierry Henry, now coach of the Under-23 team who will play the tournament, said at the draw ceremony.
“We haven’t won it in 40 years. It’s not easy, but we will try everything.”
France won the title in 1984 in Los Angeles.
Henry’s team have a friendly against the U.S. scheduled on Monday.
“We didn’t have a preference (for the draw), the first goal is to get through the group phase and see what happens on the other side,” Henry added.
In the women’s competition, world champions Spain, who will play at the Olympics for the first time, were drawn with Japan, Brazil and a yet-to-be-determined African qualifier.
Holders Canada will play hosts France, Colombia and New Zealand in Group A.
The U.S., who are four times winners, are in Group B with Germany, Australia and an African qualifier.
The women’s final will conclude the soccer tournaments on Aug. 10 at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis