As the likes of Spain, the USWNT and 2020 champion Canada prepare to fight for gold at this summer's Games, GOAL picks some names to keep an eye on…
While the men's football tournament at the Olympics is an Under-23 event, the women's is a senior competition, thus making it one of the most prestigious in the sport, and meaning we are set to see some of the very best players in the world take to the field in France this summer in search of a gold medal.
After winning the Women's World Cup last summer, Spain will go into the event as favourites to stand on top of that podium in Paris next month, but the United States women's national team, now under the charge of Chelsea icon Emma Hayes, has taken big steps forward in the past 12 months. There are plenty of other big nations involved, too, including 2020 gold medalists Canada.
It's a packed field with three extremely competitive groups and 12 rosters filled with top quality players. So, ahead of the tournament kicking off on Thursday, July 25, GOAL has picked out 15 names to keep an eye on at the Games…
USA TODAY SportsMayra Ramirez (Colombia)
Colombia's performances at last summer's World Cup, at which it reached an historic quarter-final, and this year's CONCACAF W Gold Cup, where it lost to the U.S. in the first knockout round, could not have looked more different. In 2023, the South Americans were exciting and delighted many with their attacking play, so it was a shame that wasn't on show in the team's first major tournament of this year.
However, among the big differences between those two events was the absence of Mayra Ramirez at the Gold Cup. The striker, who signed for Chelsea in January for a bumper fee, was an obvious miss for Colombia in the U.S., and so her presence at the Games should change things for the better.
Ramirez's devastating qualities were evident in an incredible individual display on the final dayas Chelsea won a fifth successive Women's Super League title in May, and Colombia will hope to see performances like that in France, too, as it bids to win a medal.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesAdriana Leon (Canada)
This will be the first major tournament since the Olympic Games in 2000 at which Canada does not have the legendary Christine Sinclair on its roster. The 41-year-old announced her retirement from international football in December, hanging her boots up as the all-time top goal-scorer in this field. Her 190 strikes, some 60 more than Ronaldo's all-time record in the men's game, seem unlikely to ever be surpassed.
So, going into the 2024 Olympics, how does Canada cope without her presence in attack? In recent years, Sinclair has dropped into a deeper role rather than being the focal point, but there's no debating how significant a role she maintained in her nation's attacking play, not least because she would draw attention from opposing defenders and that could create space for team-mates.
Throughout 2024, it has not been a case of the 2020 Olympic gold medalists replacing Sinclair like-for-like, but of adapting to a new-look attack without her. Within that, Adriana Leon has shone. The Aston Villa forward has scored nine goals for Canada this calendar year and a continuation of that form in France would go a long way in helping her team have another successful Games.
Getty ImagesKadidiatou Diani (France)
At last summer's World Cup, Kadidiatou Diani had to operate as France's No.9 due to the injury absence of Marie-Antoinette Katoto, the goal-machine she spent so many years providing perfect service for with Paris Saint-Germain. In that role, she scored four goals in five games, but we didn't see the very best of her as Les Bleues lost in the quarter-finals.
Things could be different this time around. Katoto is back and Diani is out wide again, where she can torment full-backs with her agility, skill and positive mindset. She comes into the tournament off the back of an assist-laden season at Lyon, joining the club from PSG last year, and not only will she be hoping to keep that up – Katoto will be keen for her to do so too, so the two can combine to fire the host nation to a medal.
Getty ImagesRebekah Stott (New Zealand)
Like at most major tournaments, it's going to be tough for New Zealand – pooled with France, Colombia and Canada – to get out of the group stages at the Olympics. However, the Football Ferns hit a huge milestone last summer by winning a World Cup match for the first time and were only denied a place in the knockout stages on goal difference. That will give the players confidence as another major tournament approaches, there's no doubt.
That close call was built on a rock solid defense, New Zealand conceding just once in three group-stage matches, and keeping it tight at the back will be important again in France, given the opposition. Rebekah Stott is a leader in that back line and, as such, she will be key to ensuring this team is tough to break down.
The 31-year-old has a ton of experience, commands the respect of this team and comes into the Olympics having had a superb season with Melbourne City, too, helping the Australian side become A-League Women Premiers again while also reaching the grand final.