The United States enters the 2024 Paris Olympics as the favorite to win gold in women’s soccer.
That’s not unexpected given their 4 wins in 8 Olympic Games since the game was added to the list of events.
World champions Spain and hosts France are hot on their heels, but it’s hard to rule out Brazil, home to arguably the greatest female footballer in history.
The women’s soccer tournament begins on July 25. Here are our five most sensible players to watch:
Marta Vieira da Silva, known as Marta, is arguably the most important footballer in history, with six FIFA Women’s Player of the Year awards to her credit.
The 38-year-old is yet to win a first world trophy, having won silver at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and completed the knockout stage at the 2007 World Cup against Germany.
Brazil, which has won eight of nine Copa Americas since its inauguration in 1991, has failed to translate its continental dominance onto the world stage.
In fact, Marta holds the record for the highest number of goals (17) scored in a men’s or women’s World Cup.
The striker, who plays for the Orlando Pirates in the United States, announced that this will be her last participation in the Olympic Games.
Kundananji will carry the weight of her country to the Olympic Games and the expectation that comes with being the world’s top female soccer player on her shoulders.
The 24-year-old signed for National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side Bay FC in February from Spanish club Madrid CFF for $788,000.
The striker, who played for Zambia at last year’s Women’s World Cup, has scored 10 goals in 18 appearances.
During his time at Madrid, he scored 33 goals in Liga F games after joining Sociedad Deportiva Eibar in 2022.
Bonmati named the 2023 Ballon d’Or winner after a couple of remarkable seasons in which she swept everything for club and country.
The 26-year-old, who won her award in a ceremony alongside men’s winner Lionel Messi, helped her win the 2023 World Cup in Australia with a 1-0 victory over England.
The midfielder won the Ballon d’Or for player of the tournament. Bonmati scored six goals in as many games, adding a goal in the final, for Barcelona, which beat Lyon 2-0 last season to win the Champions League trophy. second year in a row.
Horan will be the captain of the United States, which is a most successful team in the short history of women’s soccer at the Olympic Games.
The Americans have won 4 gold medals, two silver and one bronze, and once won a medal at the 2016 Games.
The flexible 30-year-old was a forward component of the team that lost its semifinal to Canada at Tokyo 2020, but finished on the podium with a 4-3 victory over Australia in the bronze medal game.
This made up for the penalty shootout defeat, in which Horan scored his penalty against Sweden four years earlier in the quarter-finals.
After scoring 46 goals in 58 games for Paris Saint-Germain, Horan returned to France last year with Lyon after a seven-year stint in the NWSL with Portland Thorns, where he helped his team win the championship in 2017. and was named the most productive in the league. player. Useful player the following season.
Fowler’s reputation as a rising star skyrocketed at the 2023 World Cup, when Australia’s most no-nonsense player, Sam Kerr, ruled in two of the tournament’s opening matches.
The 20-year-old was forced to take over as captain of the national team, which leads Chelsea’s forward line in the English Women’s Super League.
Fowler herself had been signed through English giants Manchester City in 2022 and was already considered one of the brightest young talents in the world.
The Queenslandeuse scored a goal in the organization phase, assisted in the round of 16 and scored her sporting shot in the penalty shootout against France in the quarterfinals.
Fowler decided on the 2019 World Cup at the age of 16, but an injury prevented him from appearing. However, he played a vital role in the team that reached the bronze medal game at the 2020 Games and scored in the 4-3 quarterfinal victory over Great Britain.
The 2024 Paris Olympics could become Fowler’s historic tournament if he leads Australia to its first gold medal.
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated Paris 2024 Olympics tournament page with all the news and features, as well as event build-up and live text watching on decided football, basketball, tennis and boxing matches .