The Matildas have been drawn in a group with football powerhouses the United States and Germany for the Paris Olympics.
Group B will be completed by either Zambia or Morocco through the final round of the African qualifiers, set to take place in April.
The US are ranked fourth in the women's FIFA rankings and their tally of four Olympic gold medals is unmatched in women's football, while Germany is ranked fifth in the world and won gold at Rio 2016.
The US have also won more World Cup titles than any other country in women's football, having triumphed on four occasions, while Germany has won twice.
"It's all about focusing on us and the challenge that lies ahead," Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond told Nine's Today.
"You saw how hard it was for all the European teams to qualify with England and Sweden missing out in particular.
"We're obviously used to these kinds of things. We did well at Tokyo [2020] and now in Paris we have a new challenge and one that we'll be excited for."
The Matildas finished fourth at Tokyo 2020 and again fell agonisingly short of the medals at the 2023 World Cup, losing the bronze medal match.
They're determined to leave Paris with a medal, especially given a host of highly respected Australian players, including Steph Catley, Alanna Kennedy, Tameka Yallop and Clare Polkinghorne, are unlikely to feature at another Olympics or World Cup.
MORE TO COME.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.