Former Footballer Javier Saviola pulls France from the pot during the Olympic football tournament final draw in Paris, France, March 20, 2024. /CFP
One could easily imagine Thierry Henry drifting off to sleep with a satisfied grin on his face, as his France team were handed a favorable group draw for the men's football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games on Wednesday night.
The Arsenal legend may even allow himself to indulge in dreams of clinching the coveted gold medal on home soil, as Les Bleus, who won the title in 1984, find themselves in Group A of the 16-team competition, alongside New Zealand, USA, and the winners of the playoff between Guinea and an Asian team.
"The Olympics ... my father used to wake me up in the middle of the night to watch Carl Lewis," reminisced Henry during the draw ceremony. "I even shed tears when we failed to qualify, despite having won the World Cup before. It's been 40 years since our last victory. It won't be easy, but we'll give it our all. Our initial objective is to navigate through the group stage and then assess the situation on the other side."
France coach Thierry Henry attends the Olympic football tournament final draw in Paris, France, March 20, 2024. /CFP
Blessed with the precocious talents of Eduardo Camavinga, the Real Madrid midfielder, as well as the promising duo of Warren Zaire-Emery and Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, Henry will undoubtedly aim to secure the top spot in the group. Such an outcome could prove crucial in avoiding a clash with Argentina, the South American powerhouses who lifted the trophy in 2004 and 2008.
Argentina were drawn in Group B with Morocco, Ukraine, and the third qualifier from Asia. It's worth mentioning that the two-time defending champions, Brazil, failed to qualify for the men's tournament this time around.
Group C will see the presence of Spain, who clinched the silver medal in Tokyo, going up against Egypt, the Dominican Republic, and the second qualifier from Asia. Group D, on the other hand, will feature Paraguay, Israel, Mali, and the first qualifier from Asia.
Jaime Yarza, FIFA's director of tournaments and Sarai Bareman, FIFA chief women's football officer onstage during the Olympic football tournament final draw in Paris, France, March 20, 2024. /CFP
In the women's competition, hosts France were also fortunate to receive a relatively easy draw, as they are set to face holders Canada, Colombia, and New Zealand in Group A. Meanwhile, the four-time champions, USA, were placed in Group B alongside fifth-ranked Germany and World Cup semifinalist Australia. The final team in Group B will either be Morocco or Zambia.
"It's a tough group, but all the groups are tough," remarked Twila Kilgore, the interim coach of the USA team. "Nevertheless, our team thrives on challenges... We're excited to compete, as we always are, we're taking it one game at a time and hopefully that puts us in a place where we're competing to the end."
World champions Spain will be making their Olympic debut in the football tournament and have been drawn alongside Japan, Brazil, and a yet-to-be-determined African qualifier in Group C.
The football competition will commence two days prior to the opening ceremony of the Games on July 24th, with the women's final marking the conclusion of the event on August 10th. Notably, this will be the first time that the women's final serves as the culmination of the football event.