That’s a Wrap on the Group Stage! Bring on the Quarterfinals
Eight teams punch their ticket to the Olympics knockout stage— let's look back at the major moments so far as we prepare for the heart of the tournament ahead!
The group stage of the women’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics is officially behind us, and, as SNL’s Stefon would say, it had everything: a drone spying scandal, an 11-goal game, and even a red-carded, heartbroken Marta. The final group stage games had teams with everything still to play for, with each goal scored shuffling something in the standings as countries jockeyed to secure their spot in the quarterfinals.
Who’s going through?
As a reminder, the women’s tournament at the Olympics is inexplicably composed of just 12 teams (as compared to the 16 in the men’s tournament). That means that the top two teams from each group along with the top two third place teams across all three groups advance to the quarterfinals. All three third place teams ended with 3 points a piece, therefore goal differential (goals scored minus goals conceded) was used as the tie-breaker.
Group A: #1 France, #2 Canada, #3 Colombia
Group B: #1 USA, #2 Germany
Group C: #1 Spain, #2 Japan, #3 Brazil
As chaotic as it was, the group stage results shook out almost exactly as one would have expected coming into the tournament, with each of the highest FIFA-ranked teams moving forward to the knockout stage. The one exception here is that 22nd ranked Colombia is going through in one of the 3rd place spots alongside Brazil, while 12th ranked Australia is packing their bags. This is a major milestone for the Colombian women, as it marks the first time in their history they’ve reached the knockout stage of the Olympics. Along with the Matildas, we are also saying goodbye to New Zealand, Zambia, and Nigeria.
Group Stage Moments that Made Us Feel Things
We can’t wait to jump into these juicy knockout stage matchups, but let’s first pay our respects to what we just witnessed in group play. Here’s a look back at the highlights and heartbreaks that made us feel so damn much in the first week of this tournament.
France scored three against Colombia in the first half, only for Colombia to pull two back in the second
While they didn’t complete the comeback, these two goals were critical for Colombia’s goal differential, which ultimately got them through to the knockout stage.
Canada’s Vanessa Gilles put her team up 2-1 against France in the 102nd minute (the 12th minute of stoppage time) to keep their Olympics dreams alive
More on #dronegate soon, but we’re happy for the Canadian players who, despite being deducted 6 points at the start of the tournament, managed to pull off three wins and move on to the quarterfinals, finishing second in group A.
Australia and Zambia put on an absolutely bonkers 11-goal show
We have some mixed feelings here about this doozy of a game. First off, we’re thrilled for (and quite frankly in awe of) Barbra Banda, who scored her third Olympic hat trick (in her 5th match played over two Olympics). Alas, Zambia has been unable to actually win any of these games, speaking to the gap between their attacking prowess and defensive deficiencies. We’re also happy for Australia’s veteran forward Michelle Heyman, who came out of retirement just for these Olympic Games, and scored Australia’s game-winner in the 90th minute to secure Australia’s lone win of the tournament.
This Momoko Tanikawa golazo completed Japan’s comeback vs. Brazil at the death to seal a 2-1 win
After losing 2-1 to Spain in their first game and initially going down 1-0 to Brazil in their second, Japan scored two in extra time to turn their momentum around and ultimately finish the group stage second in Group C behind Spain.
Alexia Putellas scores from an impossible angle to secure Spain’s win against Nigeria
More mixed feelings here, folks! This display of pure talent from the Ballon d’Or winning Patellas is a joy to witness. It’s been a long road for Patellas to get back into form after injury, but this goal silenced the haters and proved she’s still got it. Meanwhile you have to feel for Nigeria, who fought like hell to keep the World Cup winners scoreless for 85 minutes, before Spain broke the deadlock with this unstoppable free kick from an insane wide angle.
This gorgeous pass from Marta to set up Gabi Nunes for Brazil’s first goal of the tournament
We are so lucky to be able to watch this absolute legend compete in her 6th Olympics. While their play as a team is inconsistent, this pass and shot represent Brazil at their best.
Marta sees red in what could be her final game in a major tournament for Brazil
These were heartbreaking scenes as we watched Marta leave the field in tears, exiting what could be her last ever game in a major tournament. With Marta likely suspended for two games for the direct red card, Brazil would need to advance to the finals of this tournament for her to step back onto the field.
USA beats Germany 4-1 in the first big test of the Emma Hayes Era
“Emma Hayes Ball” has us feeling, dare we say, optimistic? This was especially true as we watched the USWNT put four past Germany— the highest-ranked opponent the USWNT has faced since Sweden in last year’s World Cup.
New Zealand (and Angel City FC!) Captain Ali Riley’s teammates honor her with a haka
After withdrawing from the tournament due to a persistent injury, Riley blessed us with this Pitch Perfect-inspired content. Her teammates then honored her with a haka.
USWNT substitute Korbin Albert scores a “banger” against Australia, gets an underdog narrative she doesn’t deserve
We were deeply disappointed with the match commentary from Julie Foudy and Jon Champion that followed Korbin Albert’s goal against Australia, which positioned her as a “controversial” figure, and praised her teammates for celebrating her in her big moment. Let’s be clear: Korbin Albert is not Colin Kaepernick. Albert was exposed for liking and sharing a string of transphobic and homophobic posts on TikTok back in March. These views actively make the USWNT’s LGBTQ+ players (past and present), coaches, and fans less safe. She’s yet to denounce them directly, or publicly demonstrate any growth. The pushback she’s receiving is not an effort to bully her, but to hold her accountable until she shows she’s making strides to change. Until then, we expect the likes of respected USWNT voices like Foudy to be better.
Quarterfinals Schedule - Saturday, August 3rd
Get to bed early Friday night and make sure to have coffee on hand for an early morning of knockout stage drama!
USA vs. Japan - 6AM PT / 9AM ET
Spain vs. Colombia - 8AM PT / 11AM ET
Canada vs. Germany - 10AM PT / 1PM ET
France vs. Brazil - 12PM PT / 3PM ET
Don’t forget to use our handy dandy Olympics Women’s Soccer Google Calendar!
P.S. The USMNT advance to the Olympics knockout stage for the first time since 2000!
The U-23 crew bounced back from a 3-0 loss to France in their first game with two wins, scoring lots of pretty goals, and securing their spot in the quarterfinals. They look… good? Following the senior squad getting grouped in the Copa America, it’s nice for the boys to have something to celebrate! Tune in this Friday, August 2nd at 6am PT to watch them face off against Morocco.