Women's Olympic Games
Japan will be aiming to add to the silver medal won at the London 2012 Games while Australia will ne determined to go one better after finishing fourth at Tokyo 2020.
With the July 25th kick-off of the women's tournament fast approaching, the-AFC.com takes a look at the three groups with the top two from each and two best third-placed sides to advance to the quarter-finals.
Group A: France, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand
The best France have achieved at the Olympics was a fourth place finish in the 2012 Games and the hosts will be aiming to maximise home ground advantage in their bid for a medal.
Standing in their way will be defending champions Canada, who will be aiming to bounce back in style after their FIFA Women's World Cup campaign ended prematurely last year.
Colombia, back in the fray after missing the last edition, and New Zealand - set to appear in a fifth consecutive Games - also cannot be underestimated.
Group B: USA, Zambia, Germany, Australia
The draw may look tough but Australia will feel that if they can navigate past their Group B opponents, the sky will be the limit for the Matildas.
Denied the bronze by the United States in the Tokyo Games, the four-time champions stand in their way again but a battle-hardened Australia will not feel intimidated despite missing the injured Sam Kerr.
Germany, the 2016 gold medallists, are back after missing the last edition and they will surely be a handful as they look to reestablish themselves as a force.
Zambia, despite only appearing in their second Olympics, will relish the opportunity of locking horns with some of the game's biggest teams.
Group C: Spain, Japan, Nigeria, Brazil
Japan will renew their rivalry with Spain a year after the two met in the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.
Then, Japan produced a masterclass to defeat the European side 4-0 in the group stage only to suffer elimination in the quarter-finals while Spain went on to lift the trophy.
It was a phenomenal triumph and Spain, who will be making their Olympics debut, will definitely be challenging for medals.
So will Brazil, who are seeking a first gold medal after finishing runners-up in 2004 and 2008 and having to settle for fourth place on home soil eight years ago.
Nigeria, making a return after having missed the previous three editions, cannot be taken lightly either as the African side showed their quality in a stunning 3-2 defeat of Australia in the FIFA Women's World Cup last year.
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