On Wednesday afternoon (20), the Brazilian National Team learned about their opponents for the Olympic Football Tournament in Paris. Brazil is in Group C and will face Japan, Spain, and the team that qualifies between Nigeria or South Africa, which will be determined in the April FIFA date. The Olympic Games will take place between July 25 and August 10.
The Seleção’s debut will be on July 25 against Nigeria or South Africa at the Bordeaux Stadium in Bordeaux. Next, the team will face the Japanese on the 28th at the Parc des Princes in Paris, and will conclude the group stage against the current world champion, Spain, on the 31st, also at the Bordeaux Stadium.
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Coach Arthur Elias and his assistant, Rodrigo Iglesias, were present at the ceremony and commented on the future opponents, projecting the matches of the competition’s first phase.
“When we look at the draw, we realize that all groups are very competitive and of a high level, which is a characteristic of the Olympics. Analyzing our opponents and their current performance, I think we were drawn with the strongest teams from each pot, but that won’t influence once the competition begins,” emphasized Arthur.
“Now, with the groups defined, we can accelerate and qualify our technical and logistical planning. Furthermore, we will continue with the same mentality, evaluating the athletes in the broadest way possible and improving our performance until the tournament. I am convinced that we will have an Olympics with the resurgence of Brazilian women’s football and that we can make history,” analyzed the coach.
The Brazilian National Team has already begun its preparation for the tournament. In 2023, they played five friendlies: two against Canada, two against Japan, and one against Nicaragua. At the beginning of 2024, they won the runner-up in the Gold Cup, which has a similar format to the Olympics, defeating Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, Argentina, and Mexico, but being overcome 1-0 by the United States.
As part of the preparation, Brazil will participate in another edition of the SheBelieves Cup in April, where they will face Canada in the semifinals on the 6th and may play against the United States or Japan on the 9th. With a busy schedule, the commander of Amarelinha analyzed the 50 days of work with the team.
“During this period so far, our greatest gain is in what people outside the group cannot see. I believe we are creating a fundamental environment and mentality in terms of work, relationships, and mainly playing so that the Seleção can stand out in international competitions again,” he commented.
“In a way, I was satisfied with our results so far. We have defeated all the teams we faced, except for the United States, in a match that was balanced. The balance is positive and I am optimistic because we still have a long way to go,” he concluded.
Format of competition
The 12 participating teams were divided into three groups with four teams each. The top two from each group and the two best third-placed teams will be guaranteed a spot in the knockout stage. The remaining teams will compete in quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place play-off, and final. All matches will be played in a single round.
