{
    "title": "Canada draws China, Sweden and Argentina for Olympics",
    "modified_at": "2026-05-05 18:34:19",
    "published_at": "2008-04-20 11:00:00",
    "url": "https://news.canadasoccer.com/canada-draws-china-sweden-and-argentina-for-olympics",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/0MFd",
    "culture": "en",
    "language": "EN",
    "subtitle": "Canada has been drawn into a Group E at the official draw for the 2008 Women\u2019s Olympic Football Tournament in China. Canada has been draw into a group with Argentina, Sweden (Sverige) and hosts China. \u201cI am quite pleased with a reasonable draw,\u201d says coach Even Pellerud. \u201cOf course, it will be a cha\u2026",
    "slug": "canada-draws-china-sweden-and-argentina-for-olympics",
    "body": "<p>Canada has been drawn into a Group E at the official draw for the 2008 Women&rsquo;s Olympic Football Tournament in China. Canada has been draw into a group with Argentina, Sweden (Sverige) and hosts China.<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200b&ldquo;I am quite pleased with a reasonable draw,&rdquo; says coach Even Pellerud. &ldquo;Of course, it will be a challenge to play the host (China), but I am happy we don&rsquo;t play them in the first match.&rdquo;<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200bCanada will face Argentina on 6 August, China on 9 August and Sweden on 12 August. Canada&rsquo;s first two games take place in Tianjin and its third game takes place in Beijing.<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200bCanada is very familiar with hosts PR China, having faced its senior women&rsquo;s side 17 times. Canada has a record of two wins, three draws and 12 losses. Canada&rsquo;s famous victory over China, of course, was the 1:0 win on 2 October 2003 at the FIFA Women&rsquo;s World Cup, eliminating China and sending Canada to the semi-final. Canada finished fourth in that tournament. Canada most recently played to a 0:0 draw with China on 18 January 2008 at the Four Nations Tournament.<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200bCanada has faced Argentina&rsquo;s senior women&rsquo;s side just once: at the FIFA Women&rsquo;s World Cup USA 2003. Canada won 3:0 over Argentina on 24 September 2003 in Columbus, OH. Canada will face Argentina this 14 June 2008 in Suwon, Republic of Korea at the Peace Queen Cup.<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200bCanada has faced Sweden&rsquo;s senior women&rsquo;s side 11 times. After nine losses and a draw, Canada finally defeated Sweden for the first time on 18 July 2006 in Blaine, MN.<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200bThere are three four-team groups in the Women&rsquo;s Olympic Football Tournament. The top-two teams in each group automatically advance to the quarter-final, as do two other third-place finishers. The quarter-finals take place on 15 August, the semi-finals take place 18 August, and the last two games (match for third place and the final) take place 21 August.<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200b<br>\u200bWith a second-place finish at the CONCACAF Women&rsquo;s Olympic Qualification Tournament, Canada qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 24 years and for the first time in its women&rsquo;s program history. The 2008 Women&rsquo;s Olympic Football Tournament runs 6-23 August in China. Canada, whose title sponsor is Winners, ranked ninth in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings.</p>",
    "author": {
        "first_name": "Integration",
        "last_name": "Integration"
    },
    "format_version": 5
}