Will the 2024 Olympics be the equivalent of Euro 1984 for the Blues? If they want to break – like their male predecessors forty years ago in France – the curse of a desperately empty record, on August 10, at the Parc des Princes, in the Olympic final, the French players will have to get rid of the crème de la crème of women’s football. Unlike the men’s tournament, there is no age limit for constituting the selected lists.
Twelve teams, divided into three groups, participate in the tournament which takes place in seven cities (Lyon, Nantes, Marseille, Saint-Etienne, Paris, Nice and Bordeaux). Among them, two are not yet known, they will be known at the beginning of April after the Nigeria-South Africa and Morocco-Zambia dams.
Beneficiary of a ticket allocated to the host country, France was automatically placed in group A. Wednesday March 20, in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), the draw – three teams divided into four pots , with the instruction to avoid as much as possible matches between representatives of the same confederation in the first round – designated the first three opponents of the French team this summer: Canada, Colombia and New Zealand.
Canada’s pet peeve
It was held at the Paris 2024 headquarters, in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis). Two speakers carried out the draw: Canadian 2021 Olympic champion Stéphanie Labbé, and former Ivorian footballer Didier Drogba.
When France 3 presenter Fabien Lévêque speaks to Hervé Renard about a possible Olympic coronation in the introduction to the ceremony, the Bleues coach tempers: “You set the bar very, very high. The best place [JO et Coupe du monde]it’s fourth in women’s footballhe recalled. At the Olympics, we represent the French team as a whole. We must go get this medal for the entire delegation. »
The teammates of the captain, Wendie Renard, will therefore play their first match on July 25, in Décines-Charpieu (Rhône), against Colombia. They will continue on July 28, in Saint-Etienne, against the Canadians. And they will finish the final phase, again in the suburbs of Lyon, on July 31, against the New Zealanders.
The Blues, who are preparing to play their third Olympic tournament, find their Canadian beast nemesis. For their first participation, they reached the semi-finals, in London, in 2012, losing for the bronze medal against Canada. In 2016, in Rio, the adventure ended in the quarter-finals, also against Canada.
As for Colombia, it is a team in full progress, qualified for the quarter-finals of the last 2023 World Cup, in first position in its group, ahead of Morocco and Germany. First led 2-0 in a preparation match in April 2023, the French overturned the score to win 5-2 against the Colombians.
“Very high level”
France and New Zealand had already faced each other during the 2016 Olympics. The French won 3-0 in the group match. The New Zealanders were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2012 Olympics. “It’s a very high level when we see all the qualified teamsreacted Hervé Renard. We know Colombia well having played them in a friendly during my first match. Canada is the reigning Olympic champion. New Zealand caused a surprise by beating Norway in the first round of the World Cup. »
“We want to at least be on the podiumsays Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, but as we are at home, a hundred years after the last Olympics in France, and we have two very competitive teams, we must be ambitious, and if possible go and win gold like forty years ago. »
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The first two teams from the three groups will go directly to the quarter-finals, as will the two best third-placed teams, two thirds of those entered will therefore progress through the first round. In pot number 1 with France, the two favorites of the competition – the United States and the Spaniards, who won the last two world championship titles – will appear respectively in group B (with Germany, the Australia and Morocco or Zambia) and Group C (with Japan, Brazil and Nigeria or South Africa).
Women’s football was included in the Olympic program at the Atlanta Olympic Games (United States) in 1996. And the Americans have long made it their preserve – four gold medals in seven editions – even if they have not have not been crowned since 2012. The title holders are the Canadians, winners in Japan over the Swedes, not present in France.
France Télévisions consultant, Louisa Necib, international between 2005 and 2016, experienced the first two Olympic tournaments with the Tricolores: ” Without success. I wish just the opposite for this French team, that they bring us the most beautiful medals. »
“For women, it’s a bit like the World Cup”
Director of global football development, Arsène Wenger recalled the difficulty of the women’s tournament: “For women, it’s a bit like the World Cup. There will be all the best teams. We saw a very good competition and a magnificent final last year [en Australie, Coupe du monde 2023]. » For example, reigning European champion and vice-world champion, England did not qualify.
Since the induction of Hervé Renard early last year, the French team reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 World Cup, eliminated by host country Australia. Then she played in the final of the League of Nations, where she received a lesson from the formidable Spain, on February 28, in Seville (2-0).
“I also have compassion for the two friends. It’s not easy to play at home as favorites.”, launched Arsène Wenger to Thierry Henry, the coach of the Blues, and Hervé Renard. The latter hopes to overcome this pitfall for what will constitute the last adventure of his short mandate at the head of the Bleues, as he confirmed: “I am at the end of my contract on August 31, I announced to the federation that I will not continue. »