The Americans, who defeated the Dutch in the 2019 final, will also face Vietnam and a playoff winner at the 2023 tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
Otherwise, the top-ranked Americans welcomed the results of the draw conducted Saturday in New Zealand, which will co-host the tournament with Australia.
The U.S. opener July 22 in Auckland is against first-time participant Vietnam, followed five days later by a clash in Wellington with the eighth-ranked Netherlands, which lost to the United States, 2-0, in the 2019 final in France.Group play will conclude Aug. 1 in Auckland against the winner of a playoff in February between No. 23 Portugal, No. 41 Thailand and No. 58 Cameroon.
With a 20-1-3 record in group play, the United States is not expected to have much trouble earning one of the group’s two places in the knockout stage. If rankings hold form, it would face No. 14 Italy, the second-best team in Group G, in the round of 16 in Sydney. The Americans were thrilled with the overall bracket: Until the final, they would avoid European champion England, 2021 Olympic gold medalist Canada and contenders Germany, France, Brazil and Australia. The top teams on their side of the bracket are Sweden, Japan and Spain.