USWNT get Germany, Australia in group stage at Paris Olympics; US men get host France

The U.S. women's soccer team got what it wanted in the draw for the Paris Olympics.

The USWNT will play its group-stage games, against Germany, Australia and either Morocco or Zambia, in Nice and Marseilles. Though heat could be a factor in the summer, as it was during the 2019 World Cup in France, interim coach Twila Kilgore said after the draw Wednesday that the team is prepared for that.

The USWNT opens the Olympic tournament July 25 against either Morocco or Zambia in Nice. The remaining two group games, against Germany on July 28 and Australia on July 31, will be in Marseilles.

"Our path in terms of location, truthfully, is what we were hoping for. In terms of location and the sites of games, it's a really good thing for us for a lot of different reasons. It's the right kind of travel," Kilgore said. "Anything we can control, we will. We have a really robust high-performance and medical department that surely will be putting things in place that will help us cope with those things."

The USWNT already knew it was going to have Germany, a familiar foe, in its group because of rules prohibiting teams from the same confederation being in the same group. Host France and reigning World Cup champion Spain are Europe's other two teams, and they are ranked above Germany.

Australia wasn't a surprise, either, given recent history. Just as the USWNT always seems to play Sweden at major international tournaments, it's run into Australia a fair amount lately, too. It was in the same group with the Matildas at the Tokyo Olympics, playing to a scoreless draw in the final group game, before beating Australia in the bronze-medal game.

Both Morocco or Zambia would be a first-time opponent for the USWNT.

Should the USWNT win the group, they'd play their quarterfinal match at Parc des Princes in Paris, the same stadium where they defeated France in the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Cup. If they finish second, they'd play in Marseilles.

"The bottom line is we're just excited to have a path. To know who we're playing, be able to start working on specific game plans," Kilgore said. "There's so much that goes into an Olympics, with such a short turnaround and congested games, for our administration to be able to start mapping that out and take bigger steps toward where we're headed is really important. And exciting."

France, Colombia, defending Olympic champion Canada and New Zealand are in Group A. Spain, Japan and either Nigeria or South Africa are in Group C.

"I think all the groups are hard and it would be wrong to underestimate anybody," Kilgore said. "And of course we respect the opponents in our group, but we would be ready to face anybody."

The Olympics will be the first tournament under new coach Emma Hayes, who will take over the USWNT after Chelsea's season ends in May, and Kilgore said she is heading to England on Thursday to spend time with Hayes. Hayes has already announced Kilgore will be part of her staff, and the two are in frequent communication about roster selection and direction of the team.

The Paris Games also will be the first major international tournament since the debacle at last summer's World Cup, when the USWNT lost to Sweden on penalty kicks in the round of 16. It was their earliest exit ever at a World Cup or an Olympics.

The Americans had another low moment when they lost to Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup earlier this month, their first loss ever on U.S. soil to La Tri. But they rebounded to win the title, beating Canada in the semifinals and Brazil in the final.

"To have the response that we did post-Mexico and walk away with the trophy was critical and it's going to be really important for us moving into the summer," Kilgore said.

USA men open vs. host nation France

Meanwhile, the U.S. men will kick off their first Olympic appearance since 2008 in style. Drawn into Group A with France, they'll face the hosts in the first game of the Olympic tournament, on July 24 in Marseilles.

"When you play against the host team, it might be a little bit different experience," Olympic coach Marko Mitrović said. "I'd assume it's going to be a sold-out stadium with like 70,000 people. But it is what it is. We just see them as all the other teams in our group, as our opponents."

The American men, which will be an Under-23 team with three overage players, will play New Zealand on July 27, also in Marseilles. They'll wrap up group play on July 30 in Saint-Etienne against the winner of a playoff between Guinea and a team from Asia. The U.S. men won't know that opponent until mid-May.

In a twist, the U-23s have friendlies against both France and Guinea over the next five days. The Americans play Guinea on Friday in Olot, Spain, and then face France on Monday in Montbeliard, France.

"If we win these two games, we will try to see with the Olympic Committee if we can transfer those points to the Olympic Games," Mitrović joked.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USWNT will see some familiar faces in group stage at Paris Olympics