Group B’s USA and Zambia are set to go head-to-head on matchday one of the Olympic women’s football group stages.
The Paris Olympics is finally upon us and this summer’s women’s football tournament is ready and raring to go.
Kick-off is just one day before the Olympic Opening Ceremony, which will see athletes representing all partaking nations proceed down the River Seine.
Set to be full of twists, turns and certain drama, this summer’s women’s football contingent consists of, arguably, more than one ‘group of death’ battling it out through the July group stages.
Group B: Group of Death
Top candidate for this Paris’s group of death is Group B, consisting of the USA, Australia, Germany, and Zambia.
This group set up promises top competition from opposite ends of the globe, serving some of the toughest opponents in women’s football right now.
Group B’s Olympic campaign kicks off with Germany facing Australia, whilst the historically dominant team USA take on Southern African powerhouse Zambia.
Group B’s USA and Zambia will go head-to-head on July 25 at the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, marking the first matchday of the 2024 Olympic women’s football group stage.
The match will be a historic moment for both nations, marking the first time the two countries have ever played each other across any competition.
Team Zambia
Paris 2024 is Zambia’s second Olympic tournament.
The summer games marks the Copper Queens’ third tournament on a world stage, beginning with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and followed by the 2023 World Cup.
Neither saw the team advance out of the group stages but this three-tournament streak just goes to show the rapid rise of this African
The team boast some of the world’s top players, including Grace Chanda, who has just transferred from Real Madrid to Orlando Pride.
In fact, Team Zambia has both players with the highest transfer deals in the history of women’s football.
Sitting at number one on the highest transfer deal to date is Zambia’s powerhouse Rachael Kundananji moved to Bay FC this year on.
Zambia’s greatest weapon, however, looks to be Barbra Banda, who Emma Hayes has described as ‘the most informed striker in the world right now’.
Coming to NWSL team Orlando Pride earlier this year on the second highest transfer deal after Kundananji, Banda hit the ground running, stunning the league with an incredible NWSL record as the first player to reach 11 goals in their first 11 games.
Team USA
The USA have historically dominated at world tournaments, with a stream of gold medals that earned the team a formidable reputation.
As more countries rose in the ranks of women’s football across the world, the USA fell to fifth in FIFA rankings, the lowest in their history.
Over the past year, the USWNT has been building up again under interim head coach Twila Kilgore and now new head coach Emma Hayes, who has previously led England team Chelsea to seven WSL titles.
Hayes reassures huge change after the 2023 World Cup performance, in which the USWNT were knocked out in an unprecedentedly early round of 16, saying: “We’ve moved passed that […] we’re excited. We are prepared. […] we are in the place we should be.”
Hayes has already made her mark with the USWNT with a nine-game winning streak across games, including the two June friendlies with the Olympic squad clean sheets during June and July friendlies.
This re-booted top-tier roster selection boasts some talented young players, such as forward Sophia Smith and defender Jenna Nighswonger.
Then the team has a solid backing in highly experienced veterans like goalkeeper-come-penalty-taker Alyssa Naeher and regular captain Lindsey Horan.
Such range and flexibility stand the US with a significant chance of a highly anticipated comeback this summer.
Emma Hayes spoke on this upcoming match against Zambia, saying: “their ability to transition is better than any I’ve seen in world football. So, for us, structure becomes essential. That becomes the bedrock.”
Predicted Starting XIs
Zambia
Formation: 4-1-4-1
1- Catherine Musonda
3- Lushomo Mweemba
13- Martha Tembo
4- Esther Siamfuko
5- Pauline Zulu
6- Rhoda Chileshe
10- Grace Chanda
12- Avell Chitundu
17- Rachael Kundananji
15- Hellen Nga’ndwe Chanda
11- Barbra Banda
USA
Formation: 4-3-3
1- Alyssa Naeher (G)
2- Emily Fox
4- Naomi Girma
12- Tierna Davidson
13- Jenna Nighswonger
16- Rose Lavelle
10- Lindsey Horan
17- Sam Coffey
4- Trinity Rodman
9- Mallory Swanson
11- Sophia Smith
The match kicks off on July 25 at 8pm BST and can be streamed live on Paris Olympic 2024 channels of Discovery + and Eurosport, and potential showings on BBC1 and BBC Sport.
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