Germany will take on the USA on August 6 in the semi-finals for the second time in this Olympic tournament.
It’s not been long, only nine days, since the USA last took on Germany during this summer’s Olympic games.
The two powerhouse teams last faced off on July 28 in Round 2 of the Group stage games. That time, it was Germany’s loss, ending on a 4-1 score to the USA.
Giulia Gwinn got a goal in the bag for Germany, but the rest were gathered up by Mallory Swanson, Lynn Williams, and not forgetting that Sophia Smith brace, for the USA.
The world’s best
Yes, the USA beat Germany this time, but it’s the German side that ranks higher on FIFA. The USA sits in fifth, with Germany perched just above in fourth place globally.
It’s a true podium pair that will take the stage here, since these two nations are the only ones, along with Norway, to have won both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Olympics.
Germany’s track record
Germany has competed in each and every Olympic games except that of 2012 and 2020.
They reeked of success, coming up from back-to-back World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007, and three consecutive bronze medals in 2000, 2004, and 2008, to nabbing the gold in Rio 2016.
Team Captain, Alexandra Popp, is the only player on the current squad to have been part of that gold medal team back in 2016.
Germany and gold has not, however, linked up since that win in Rio.
They bowed out at the quarter finals of the 2019 World Cup and, like the USA, couldn’t make it past the 2023 World Cup group stage.
Looking at the USA
Before that early World Cup exit in 2023, the USA had won four Olympic golds: 1996, soon followed by three consecutive titles in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
Their World Cup record had been sparkling, with four titles in the bank, the most recent in 2019.
Since FIFA rankings began in 2003, the USA held the No.1 ranking for a massive 13 years, the longest one team has held such a position in consecutive years.
In fact, the next longest holder of No.1 is Germany, at four and a half years.
Currently, the USA’s fifth place ranking is the lowest it has ever placed.
The road to Paris
The USA and Germany started off these Olympics well, standing level in 3-0 wins in each of their first games.
After the USA’s 4-1 win against Germany in Round 2 of the Group stage, Germany went and did the same to Zambia, beating the African side 4-1 in Round 3.
Meanwhile, the USA’s game against Australia ended in a 2-1 win over the Matildas.
Interestingly, both teams got another similar outcome in their quarter final match ups, making their final scores 1-0 outside regulation time.
The USA bagged their goal against Japan in extra time whilst Germany got theirs through a penalty shootout against Canada.
Germany and the USA are not the only two teams to re-match during this tournament.
Brazil and Spain face off again for the other semi-final of Paris 2024, kicking off at 8pm BST on August 6 in Marseilles.
Watch the USA take on Germany on Discovery + at 5pm BST on August 6 at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
Featured image courtesy of Zackarie Faibis via Wikimedia Commons. No changes were made to this image. License details found here.
For more of our Paris 2024 Women’s Football Olympic coverage click here.