2024 Paris Olympics: USWNT draws Germany, Australia in competitive group stage

Every major tournament sparks a debate about which group is the "group of death." Frankly, all three of this summer's groups look pretty deadly: high-powered France and Colombia will battle in Group A with wild cards Canada and New Zealand, while Group C has a brutal combination of Brazil and Japan alongside reigning World Cup Champions Spain, plus either Nigeria or South Africa (both punchy, talented teams).

The USWNT's competition in Group B will probably be a bit of a mixed bag. Germany, who looked completely toothless in the World Cup last summer and failed to advance out of the group stage, tore through a highly competitive UEFA field and beat the Netherlands to take Europe's last Olympic slot.

Meanwhile, Australia — a fun, lively team with highly talented players — will also be challenging. However, the Matildas will likely play without star forward Sam Kerr, who suffered an ACL injury in January while training with Chelsea.

In April, the final opponent, Zambia or Morocco, will be determined in a two-leg playoff. Zambia has some incredibly talented players, but Morocco has proven that it can step up in big moments, advancing out of the group stage in its first-ever World Cup appearance. Regardless, either team would challenge the USWNT, especially if the U.S. falls into the bad habits that have led to its recent struggles.

With that said, the U.S. should feel good going into this stretch. The team finally has some of its mojo back: The youth are shining, while more veteran players like Alex Morgan and Sophia Smith have overcome recent struggles to be central to the USWNT offense. After an embarrassing loss to Mexico, the U.S.'s Gold Cup wins over Colombia, Canada and Brazil were a relief. The team finally feels cohesive again; more importantly, the U.S. is finally getting the ball in the back of the net, which they've been struggling with for months.

Things still aren't perfect by any means. The USWNT blew not one, but two leads in the win over Canada, and only won because of the sheer willpower of Alyssa Naeher. There are still holes in the USWNT's defensive and offensive product, which still sets the team apart from the golden years of brick walls out back and scoring machines up front.

The U.S. has a few chances to perfect the craft before heading to France, with a SheBelieves Cup semi-final against Japan in April (and hopefully a final after that). The team also has two friendlies against South Korea in June, where a pair of dominant wins might give fans confidence ahead of the opening ceremony.

But for now, things are (mostly) good. As far as we can tell, this summer will be a good chance for the U.S. to prove it's still a powerhouse — and maybe rise back up in the rankings.