The 2024 Summer Olympics are underway and with that so is the Women's Soccer tournament.
Emma Hayes' appointment as head coach of the United States women's national team is a major storyline heading into this summer's Olympic women's football tournament as she hopes to get off to a good start.
Canada won gold in Tokyo three years ago, but repeating that success at Paris 2024 will be a tough ask given the teams that have qualified for this tournament.
With only 12 nations at the Games and the tournament being a senior event rather than the men's Under-23 format, the competition will be tough. The field includes World Cup champions Spain, South American titleholders Brazil, and defending gold medalists Canada, making for an exceptionally competitive lineup.
One side that will not be competing at these games is England, who are currently ranked second in the world by FIFA and ran out World Cup runners-up in 2023. Despite their strong performance, the Lionesses failed to qualify for the Olympics.
The Sporting News takes a look at the entire list of teams competing in the women's format as well as the schedule in its entirety.
GROUP SCHEDULE & STANDINGS: Group A | Group B | Group C |
KNOCKOUT STAGE SCHEDULE: Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final
Olympic women's soccer 2024 tournament format
The Olmypic women's football tournament at the Paris Olympics begins with a full round of group games on July 25, with the quarterfinals kicking off the knockout stage on August 3.
The final takes place in Paris on August 10, one day after the bronze-medal match.
| Round | Dates |
| Group Stage | July 25-July 31, 2024 |
| Quarterfinals | August 3, 2024 |
| Semifinals | August 6, 2024 |
| Bronze-medal match | August 9, 2024 |
| Gold-medal match | August 10, 2024 |
MORE: Full schedule and draw for men's and women's soccer at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Full list of teams at Olympic women's soccer 2024
Twelve nations will compete in the women's football tournament at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Each confederation received two qualifying spots, except Oceania, which received one.
Africa was the last confederation to finalize its qualifiers in early April, with Zambia and Nigeria securing spots over Morocco and South Africa.
| Nation | Confederation | FIFA rank | Qualified via |
| France | UEFA | 3 | Host nation |
| Spain | UEFA | 1 | 2024 UEFA Women's Nations League winner |
| Germany | UEFA | 5 | 2024 UEFA Women's Nations League third place |
| United States | CONCACAF | 4 | 2022 CONCACAF W Championship winners |
| Canada | CONCACAF | 9 | CONCACAF Olympic playoff winner |
| Japan | AFC | 7 | 2024 AFC Olympic qualifiers |
| Australia | AFC | 12 | 2024 AFC Olympic qualifiers |
| New Zealand | OFC | 28 | 2024 OFC Olympic qualifying winners |
| Nigeria | CAF | 36 | 2024 CAF Olympic qualifiers |
| Zambia | CAF | 65 | 2024 CAF Olympic qualifiers |
2024 Olympics women's football schedule, matches
The women's football tournament at the 2024 Olympics features 12 teams divided into three groups of four. The top two teams from each group will automatically advance to the eight-team knockout round, along with the two best third-place teams.
Defending gold medalists Canada are in Group A with hosts France. The United States are grouped with European powerhouses Germany and Australia's Matildas. Group C also promises excitement with World Cup winners Spain facing Japan and Brazil.
Olympic women's soccer 2024 Group Stage — Standings and fixtures
Group A standings
| Pos. | Nation | Pts | GP | W-L-D | GD |
| 1. | France - Q | 6 | 3 | 2-1-0 | +1 |
| 2. | Canada - Q | 3* | 3 | 3-0 | +3 |
| 3. | Colombia - Q | 3 | 3 | 1-2-0 | 0 |
| 4. | New Zealand | 0 | 3 | 0-3-0 | -4 |
*Canada deducted six points
Group A match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Jul. 25 | 5 p.m. | Canada 2-1 New Zealand | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard (Saint-Etienne, France) |
| Thu, Jul. 25 | 9 p.m. | France 3-2 Colombia | Groupama Stadium (Lyon, France) |
| Sun, Jul. 28 | 5 p.m. | New Zealand 0-2 Colombia | Groupama Stadium (Lyon, France) |
| Sun, Jul. 28 | 9 p.m. | Canada 2-1 France | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard (Saint-Etienne, France) |
| Wed, Jul. 31 | 9 p.m. | New Zealand 1-2 France | Groupama Stadium (Lyon, France) |
| Wed, Jul. 31 | 9 p.m. | Colombia 0-1 Canada | Allianz Riviera (Nice, France) |
Group B standings
| Pos. | Nation | Pts | GP | W-L-D | GD |
| 1. | USA - Q | 9 | 3 | 3-0-0 | +7 |
| 2. | Germany- Q | 6 | 3 | 2-1-0 | +3 |
| 3. | Australia | 3 | 3 | 1-2-0 | -3 |
| 4. | Zambia | 0 | 3 | 0-3-0 | -7 |
Group B match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Jul. 25 | 7 p.m. | Germany 3-0 Australia | Orange Velodrome (Marseille, France) |
| Thu, Jul. 25 | 9 p.m. | USA 3-0 Zambia | Allianz Riviera (Nice, France) |
| Sun, Jul. 28 | 7 p.m. | Australia 6-5 Zambia | Allianz Riviera (Nice, France) |
| Sun, Jul. 28 | 9 p.m. | USA 4-1 Germany | Orange Velodrome (Marseille, France) |
| Wed, Jul. 31 | 7 p.m. | Germany 4-1 Zambia | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard (Saint-Etienne, France) |
| Wed, Jul. 31 | 7 p.m. | USA 2-1 Australia | Orange Velodrome (Marseille, France) |
Group C standings
| Pos. | Nation | Pts | GP | W-L-D | GD |
| 1. | Spain - Q | 9 | 3 | 3-0-0 | +4 |
| 2. | Japan - Q | 6 | 3 | 2-1-0 | +2 |
| 3. | Brazil - Q | 3 | 3 | 1-2 | -2 |
| 4. | Nigeria | 0 | 3 | 0-3-0 | -4 |
Group C match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Jul. 25 | 5 p.m. | Spain 2-1 Japan | Stade de la Beaujoire (Nantes, France) |
| Thu, Jul. 25 |
7 p.m. |
Nigeria 0-1 Brazil | Matmut Atlantique (Bordeaux, France) |
| Sun, Jul. 28 | 5 p.m. | Brazil 1-2 Japan | Parc des Princes (Paris, France) |
| Sun, Jul. 28 | 7 p.m. | Spain 1-0 Nigeria | Stade de la Beaujoire (Nantes, France) |
| Wed, Jul. 31 | 5 p.m. | Japan 3-1 Nigeria | Stade de la Beaujoire (Nantes, France) |
| Wed, Jul. 31 | 5 p.m. | Brazil 0-2 Spain | Matmut Atlantique (Bordeaux, France) |
Olympic women's soccer 2024 quarterfinals
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Location |
| Sat, Aug. 3 | 3 p.m. | QF2: USA 1-0 Japan | Parc des Princes (Paris, France) |
| Sat, Aug. 3 | 5 p.m. | QF3: Spain 2-2 Colombia Spain adv. 4-2 on pens |
Groupama Stadium (Lyon, France) |
| Sat, Aug. 3 | 7 p.m. | QF4: Germany 0 (4)-0 (2) Canada | Orange Velodrome (Marseille, France) |
| Sat, Aug. 3 | 9 p.m. | QF1: Brazil 1-0 France | Stade de la Beaujoire (Nantes, France) |
Olympic women's soccer 2024 semifinals
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Location |
| Tue, Aug. 6 | 6 p.m. | USA 1-0 Germany | Groupama Stadium (Lyon, France) |
| Tue, Aug. 6 | 9 p.m. | Spain 2-4 Brazil | Orange Velodrome (Marseille, France) |
Olympic women's soccer 2024 bronze medal match
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Location |
| Fri, Aug. 9 | 3 p.m. | Germany 1-0 Spain | Groupama Stadium (Lyon, France) |
Olympic women's soccer 2024 gold medal match
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Location |
| Sat, Aug. 10 | 5 p.m. | USA 1, Brazil 0 | Parc des Princes (Paris, France) |