This Wednesday the
football
draw for the
Paris 2024 Olympic Games
was held and
Javier Mascherano
's
Argentine Under 23 National Team
will be part of group B along with
Morocco
,
Ukraine
and the third-placed team in Asia, which will be resolved in the coming weeks.
In this way, if Lionel Messi finally accepts Mascherano's invitation to play in the Games, La Pulga will face Ukraine, a country going through war and that has high-level adult footballers who could join the squad.
Of course, the most likely thing is that Leo will not be in France due to a calendar issue: at the same time the MLS will be playing and Inter Miami intends to loan him only for the Copa América in the United States.
Although hope, until it is discarded, is latent.
It is known: Ukraine has been engaged in a war with Russia for more than two years that seems to have no end.
"This February 24 we remember with pain the second anniversary of the start of the large-scale war in Ukraine. So many victims, injuries, destruction, anguish, tears, in a period that is becoming terribly long and whose end is not yet in sight" , Pope Francis asked for the end of the War.
This situation in Ukraine does not currently allow us to know with which team it will appear at the Olympic Games.
How was it classified?
It came with some fortune, it must be said.
England beat Spain 1-0 in the final of the U-21 Euro Cup, which gave 3 tickets to Paris.
Israel and Ukraine fell in the semifinals.
But since England does not have representation as such in the International Olympic Committee, it gave up its ticket.
It is remembered that it is the United Kingdom that competes under the protection of the IOC.
As there is no United Kingdom national team in football, which makes up England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, there will be no English representation.
That's why runners-up Spain and semi-finalists Israel and Ukraine qualified.
Yegor Yarmolyuk, a 20-year-old midfielder for Brentford in the Premier League, is the figure of a team made up of footballers who play in the local environment.
Artem Dovbyk, Girona striker from Spain, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Chelsea winger, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, from Arsenal, are some of the seniors who can join the squad.
Argentina will face Ukraine only on the third and final date, July 30 in Marseille.
The debut will be against Morocco, on July 24 in Saint-Étienne.
Abde Ezzalzouli
and
Chadi Riad
, both from Betis in Spain, are the standouts.
The great figure, too, is
Bilal El Khannous
, a 19-year-old striker for Genk in Belgium.
"He made his debut for Morocco in the third-place match at the World Cup and has since become a fixture for the African team. The elegant midfielder was named Young Player of the Year in Belgium in 2022 and is just as adept at creating play leading the way. ball or giving incisive passes", they highlight this in FIFA.
What three majors could be added?
Goalkeeper
Bono
,
Achraf Hakimi
(PSG),
Hakim Ziyech
(Galatasaray) or
Brahim Díaz
(Real Madrid).
Meanwhile, the U-23 Asian Cup will be played from April 15 to May 3.
The first three will automatically qualify for Paris 2024 and the fourth will go to the AFC-CAF play-offs.
Argentina will play on July 27 in Lyon with the team that finishes in third place.
Japan
,
Korea
,
Qatar
,
Saudi Arabia
and
Australia
would be the candidates.
“It is a difficult area, but there is a lot of expectation.
I hope we have a great tournament for our team,” said Javier Pedro Saviola, who participated in the draw by taking 'balls' from one of the drums.
France, perhaps the great candidate, is seeded in Group A. They will play against the United States, New Zealand and the winner of the Repechage between Asia and Africa.
The fact is that if France and Argentina finish as leaders in their area, they could only collide in a final
.
Yes, as happened in Qatar 2022.
All groups of the men's soccer tournament in Paris 2024
Group A: France, the United States, New Zealand and the winner of a playoff between teams from Asia and Africa.
Group B: Argentina, Morocco, Ukraine and the third from Asia.
Group C: Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic and the second from Asia.
Group D: Paraguay, Mali, Israel and the first from Asia.