Matildas Paris Olympics draw revealed: What must they do to win Gold

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson says all focus is on the opening Olympics match against Germany – but if his squad want a medal far tougher competition stand in their way.

The Matildas face a long and bumpy road to gold at the Olympics. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

The Matildas have avoided World Cup champions Spain and Olympic hosts France, but their quest for gold will be far from easy.

Tony Gustavsson’s side has drawn football powerhouses USA and Germany in their group for the Paris Games making the road to the knockout stages a bumpy on.

Here, we break down every step the Matildas must take to collect elusive Olympic silverware.

GROUP STAGES

July 25: Germany V Australia (Marseilles)

The Matildas have faced the Germans five times – the most recent in the lead up to the Tokyo Olympics – which Germany won 5-2.

Before that their last clash was at the Rio Olympics in 2016 – which finished 2-2.

In 2021 Germany was ranked second in the world – they are now ranked fifth.

They struggled at the FIFA Women’s World Cup – failing to progress out of the group stage.

An in-form Matildas side should have no problem dispatching Germany – off their game it could end in a draw.

July 28: Aus V CAF (Nice)

Our opponent for this second match is yet to be determined – it will either be Zambia or Morocco. The Matildas have never faced either African nation but with Zambia ranked 65th in the world and Morocco 68th it should be a locked in win.

Clashes between the Matildas and the USWNT have typically been tight affairs. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

July 31: Aus V USA (Marseilles)

Australia has a long history when it comes to taking on the USA – not often with a good result. Of the 33 outings between the two sides the Matildas have won just once, with five other games ending a draw.

The last meeting between the two teams was at the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal match which the USA won 4-3. But the USA are a bit of an unknown at this Olympics. Having struggled at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup – where they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Sweden, they have ditched their coach and brought in Chelsea manager Emma Hayes. Her plans for the squad are yet to be seen. The USA will be the Matildas’ toughest competition in the group stages – but they are not invincible and a win is still possible. The Matildas managed a 0-0 draw against them in the group stage in Tokyo.

The Matildas also came against Germany in the group stages at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Picture: Getty Images

QUARTERFINALS

The top two teams from each of the three groups and the two best third placed teams will progress to the quarterfinals. Finishing third in the pool is the worst possible option for the Matildas (aside from dropping out in the group stage) as it sets them up to play either France or Spain – based on current rankings and expected outcomes.

It isn’t a death sentence – the Aussies did finish third in their group in Tokyo and then went on to beat Great Britain, who topped their group, 1-0 in the quarter-final. But France in front of a home crowd won’t be easy to beat nor will an in-form Spanish side.

Should the Matildas finish top of their group they will most likely face fellow Asian rival Japan, with Brazil likely to finish third in the pool.

If Australia lose a pool match and finish in second place, a likely scenario, they will have to get past reigning Olympic champions Canada (or possibly Colombia).

The Matildas defeated Canada 4-0 at the World Cup. Their last two meetings – a friendly series held in Canada, in which the Matildas did not play their full-strength squad, the Aussie’s lost 5-0 and 1-0.

Japan are the Matildas’ most likely opponents if they top their group. Picture: Kenta Harada/Getty Images

SEMI FINALS

This is where it could get really bumpy. If the Matildas manage to beat either Canada or Japan and progress to the semi-finals they are most likely to come back up against the USA.

A difficult task, especially if they defeated us in the group stage.

The other likely semi-final clash is shaping up to be a huge showdown between France and Spain. If both teams finish on top of their pools it will be impossible for both to be in the gold medal match. They will have to go head to head in the semi-final.

MEDAL MATCHES

The Matildas will have to pull off some huge upsets if they wish to get to the gold medal match. If they do make it they will play the winner of the Spain V France semi-final.

If the Matildas lose their semi-final they will play the loser of France and Spain in the bronze medal play off.

Gustavsoon looking no further than Germany

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson says the opening Olympic game against Germany was the most important match of the tournament – and that was all he was focused on right now.

The Australian women’s football team will also have to face four-time Olympic champions USA and either Zambia or Morocco in the group stage of the Paris Games – but Gustavsson said the Germany game was of the highest importance.

“We can talk about three games but at the end of the day, right now, we need to narrow down to the opening game on the 25th (July) against Germany – same as we did in the World Cup,” Gustavsson said.

“It was all about winning that opening game against Ireland – we’re narrowing the focus now and it’s all about the opening game.”

Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson said all focus is on the first game against Germany. Picture: AFP

Even before the draw Gustavsson knew the Matildas path to an elusive Olympic medal of any colour was going to be tough – simply because just 12 teams get the chance to fight for them.

“One thing that says how quality the teams are joining this tournament are the ones that are not in – Sweden missed out, England missed out and Holland missed out – this is going to be a massive opportunity for women’s football,” he said.

Before he gets to Paris Gustavsson has to chop his 23-woman squad down to just 18 players. His first chance to start making these decisions will be during the friendly with Mexico in April, followed by a two-match series with China PR in late May/early June.

“Selection is tough,” Gustavsson said.

“It’s always tough as a head coach especially when you work with the players for such a long time and you know that there’s more players who actually qualify for selection … I need to leave players out who actually deserve to be there.

“We are going to base selection more on who we are and what tools we need more so than the opposition. We’re not getting caught up in just what will suit Germany or the USA or one of those African teams.

“This is about us”.

The Matildas finished fourth in the world cup. Picture: Getty Images

Matildas’ player Emily van Egmond said every group was tough at an Olympics.

But said with new coach Emma Hayes at the helm the US would be particularly tough.

“It will be a new challenge for us. Germany, to not have been in Tokyo have a real point to prove and given how hard it was for people to qualify within Europe … I’m expecting a pretty tough opponent in Germany,” van Egmond said.

If selected, the Games will be van Egmond’s third.

“For me it’s about going out and doing the best that we possibly can,” she said.

“I mean we’ve been in good stead for a little bit so hopefully we can carry that momentum into a tournament such as the Olympics. We will be looking to take it one game at a time.

“I think that’s really important when you go into tournament mode.”

Lining up in Group B means the Matildas avoid having to face host nation France and current world champions Spain in the opening stages of the Olympics but if they wish to remain out of their path for as long as possible they need to finish in the top two in their group.

Australia was drawn in Pool B alongside USA, Germany and either Zambia or Morocco.

USA are no pushovers having won four of the seven Olympic gold medals. Germany won gold in 2016 after claiming three consecutive bronze medals.

They missed the Tokyo 2020 Games but qualified for Paris after beating Netherlands 2-0 in the UEFA Nations League third place play off.

America beat Australia to the bronze medal in Tokyo in a seven-goal thriller which ended 4-3.

Here is a breakdown of every game Australia will play and their path to the elusive gold medal.

Originally published as Matildas Paris Olympics draw revealed: What must they do to win Gold