2024 Olympics draw: USMNT to face France, New Zealand, playoff winner

The USMNT will face the tournament host to kick off the Olympics on July 24

The U.S. men’s under-23 national team has been matched up with host country France, New Zealand and the winner of an Asian-African playoff following Wednesday’s 2024 Olympic draw.

The USMNT was drawn into Group A, and will face France in the tournament opener on July 24 at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. 

The U.S. will then face New Zealand at the same venue on July 27, before closing out group play on July 30 at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne.

The U.S. men will participate in the Olympics for the first time since the 2008 competition in Beijing. Before qualifying through the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship, the U.S. had fallen short three Olympics in a row.

The men’s tournament will see 16 teams separated into four groups of four, with the top two finishers in each group advancing to the quarterfinal stage.

So far, 12 teams have qualified. Three Asian teams will qualify through the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which takes place from April 15 to May 3. The final spot will come from an intercontinental playoff between an Asian team and Guinea, the fourth place team from the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations.

Men’s soccer at the Olympics is an under-23 event (players born on or after January 1, 2000), with every team eligible to select three overage players.

2024 Olympics men’s soccer draw

Group A

  • France
  • USA
  • AFC-CAF playoff winner
  • New Zealand

Group B

  • Argentina
  • Morocco
  • AFC 3
  • Ukraine

Group C

  • AFC 2
  • Spain
  • Egypt
  • Dominican Republic

Group D

  • AFC 1
  • Paraguay
  • Mali
  • Israel

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