Egypt, Morocco, others await Olympics draw Wednesday

The anticipation is palpable as three African nations – Egypt, Mali, and Morocco – gear up for the highly awaited draw of the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament, set to hold in Saint-Denis, Paris on Wednesday.

Following their stellar performances in last year’s U23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, these nations have emerged as formidable contenders, CAF Online reveals on its website on Monday.

With eyes fixed on the French capital, the trio hopes to secure advantageous groupings or brace for potentially defining challenges.

As the football world awaits with bated breath, Wednesday’s draw promises to unveil the thrilling prospects that lie ahead for these African powerhouses on the Olympic stage.

The statement read, “African interest will centre on Egypt, Mali and Morocco after their impressive qualifying campaigns at last year’s U23 Africa Cup of Nations.

“The trio will be keeping a close eye on Wednesday’s draw in the French capital, where they could potentially land dream groups or tournament-defining challenges.

“But one more African nation could yet make the draw, with Guinea facing a playoff against one of the fourth-placed Asian teams for the final spot.

“This means Africa will have four representatives at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris if Guinea wins the intercontinental playoff scheduled to be held in May.”

Africa’s representatives
Egypt, quarter-finalists in 1928 and 1964, have reached a record 12 Olympic tournaments and will hope to improve on that best-ever finish in Paris.

Morocco are no stranger to the big stage either, with this being their eighth Olympic odyssey.

The Atlas Lions were surprise winners of last year’s U23 Africa Cup of Nations to seal qualification and will believe they can go further than their previous best of the second round in 1972.

Mali completed Africa’s trio in Paris after grabbing the last automatic qualification spot via a third-place finish in the continental U23 championship.

Qualifiers for the tourney in the Asian continent are still ongoing and won’t affect the Wednesday draw.

“The full line-up of participants won’t be confirmed until early May when Asian qualifying concludes.

“France, as hosts, are already guaranteed a place in the 16-team event which kicks off proceedings at their home Olympics on July 24 – two days before the opening ceremony.

“They will be joined by a star-studded cast from around the globe, including three former Olympic champions in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico,” it further read.

Olympics draw breakdown
PUNCH Online reports from a piece of information on the Olympics website that a total of 12 women’s and 16 men’s teams will compete in the Olympic football tournaments in Paris in 2024.

The 12 women’s teams will be split into three groups of four, with the 16 men’s teams split into four groups of four. The match schedules for both tournaments will be made available following the draw.

It read, “In the women’s tournament, the top two from each group and the best two third-placed teams will advance to the knockout phase.

“In the men’s competition, the top two from each group will reach the knockout phase. From there onwards, the competition follows a classic knockout format until the finals decide the Olympic champions.”

The Paris 2024 Olympics are set to be one of the most anticipated sporting events globally.

The Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event, where thousands of athletes from around the world compete in a variety of sports.