Participating in only their third Olympic Games, France’s Women’s Football Team has been handed one of the relatively less complicated routes through to the quarter-finals, with Canada, Colombia, and New Zealand making up Group A.
Ranked second in FIFA’s World Rankings—behind only the reigning World Cup winners, Spain—Hervé Renard’s side are six places ahead of Canada, 20 in front of Colombia, and 26 positions ahead of group outsiders New Zealand.
However, as is well known, nothing should be taken for granted in football; anything can happen.
As the host nation for this year’s Games, Renard—coaching his first-ever tournament for France—will surely be confident of making an impact on the Olympic stage after Les Bleues failed to qualify for Tokyo four years ago.
Hervé Renard’s 18-player squad for the 2024 Olympic Games
Goalkeepers
Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, Constance Picaud
Defenders
Wendie Renard, Griedge Mbock Bathy, Sakina Karchaoui, Élisa De Almeida, Selma Bacha, Maëlle Lakrar, Delphine Cascarino
Midfielders
Amandine Henry, Grace Geyoro, Kenza Dali, Sandie Toletti, Sandy Baltimore
Forwards
Eugénie Le Sommer, Kadidiatou Diani, Estelle Cascarino, Marie-Antoinette Katoto
Reserve Players
Vicki Bècho, Ève Périsset, Léa Le Garrec, Solène Durand
These reserve players were the unfortunate omissions by Renard. However, with the utmost respect to these four players, their exclusions likely wouldn’t have shocked the French following, given the depth of talent within the 18-player squad.
Breakout stars
Marie-Antoinette Katoto
With only Tabitha Chawinga outscoring her (19 goals) throughout the 2023/24 Première Ligue campaign, Katoto’s 12 goals make her one of the most in-form forwards coming into the tournament.
Back to being a regular in the national side after the dismissal of former manager Corinne Diacre in December, the Paris Saint-Germain phenomenon – the club’s all-time leading goalscorer – will surely be keen to add to her already awe-inspiring 29-goal record in only 39 appearances.
Having matured at Les Bleues’ youth level—from the Under-17s to the Under-20s—the 25-year-old is eager to help the 2024 Olympic Games hosts surpass their best finish at the Games, which was third place 12 years ago in London.
Anything close to Katoto’s domestic accolades—119 goals in 133 appearances—will give France a high chance of topping Group A and potentially lifting the trophy on familiar turf when the dust settles on August 10th.
Kadidiatou Diani
Pivotal in firing Olympique Lyonnais Féminin into the final of the 2023/24 UEFA Women’s Champions League, Diani was named in the Team of the Season after lifting the Golden Boot for her eight goals in 11 appearances. Renard will be eager to see what the forward can bring to the tournament.
Having already found the back of the net 28 times in 100 games for Les Bleues, the highly-regarded striker, who has represented France at the Under-17, Under-19, and Under-20 levels like Katoto, is certainly one to watch in the race for top scorer at this year’s Olympic Games.
If Diani can replicate her hat trick against Panama in the group stages of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, France could well qualify as winners of Group A, allowing them to avoid formidable opponents like reigning World Cup winners Spain and four-time tournament winners United States in the quarter-finals.
Considered one of the best strikers currently playing, both domestically and internationally, Diani is expected to lead the line for France alongside Katoto at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Chances in the Tournament
France undoubtedly aims to emerge as overall winners of the tournament, especially in front of their home crowd.
With Group A providing a relatively straightforward path, the knockout stages should be the minimum target for Les Bleues at this year’s Games.
With the support of a large number of fans across France, Renard’s side will kick off their 2024 Olympic Games campaign on 25 July as one of the pre-tournament favorites.
A place on the podium should be on the cards if France can deliver a showcase of top-tier football on one of the grandest stages in sports.
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