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Tough Olympic draw for Mighty Warriors

Sport
THE world football governing body, Fifa, yesterday announced the draw procedure for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games football tournament, with the Mighty Warriors facing the possibility of getting very tough opponents.

THE world football governing body, Fifa, yesterday announced the draw procedure for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games football tournament, with the Mighty Warriors facing the possibility of getting very tough opponents.

BY HENRY MHARA

The draw for the tournament, which runs from August 3 to 20, is scheduled for the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday.

The Olympic Games Organising Committee said the 12 football teams that qualified were allocated into four pots of three teams each seeded according to the Fifa/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking released on March 25.

The teams are Brazil (hosts), United States, Germany, France, Australia, Sweden, Canada, China PR, New Zealand, Colombia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The two top teams US (1), Germany (2) and the hosts Brazil are in Pot 1, and the next three teams France (3), Australia (5) and Sweden (6) Pot 2.

Canada (10), China (12) and New Zealand (16) made Pot 3, while the last group, Pot 4, is made up of the lowest ranked teams in Colombia (24), South Africa (54) and Zimbabwe (95).

The teams will be drawn into three groups of four (named Groups E-G), but no group will have more than one team from the same confederation.

With the Mighty Warriors in Pot 4 and set to avoid South Africa, who look like the weakest team of the lot, they are certain to get a tough draw.

They will be drawn against teams from other pots, raising the possibility of them getting into the same group with powerhouses such as US, France and China.

But before the Mighty Warriors can think of next week’s big draw in Brazil, they have the little matter of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to deal with.

The Shadreck Mlauzi-coached side are in Zambia tomorrow for the final round second leg qualifier at the Nkoloma Stadium.