Team USA heads into the 2024 Paris Olympics as the favorite to win gold in women's soccer.
This is not surprising, given her four wins in the eight Olympic Games since the sport was added to the list of events.
World champions Spain and hosts France are hot on their heels, but it's hard to dismiss Brazil, with arguably the greatest female footballer in history.
The women's soccer tournament kicks off on July 25. Here are our top five players to watch:
⚽ Marta – Brazil
Marta Vieira da Silva, known simply as Marta, is arguably the greatest female footballer of all time, with six FIFA Women's Player of the Year awards to her name.
The 38-year-old is yet to win a major world trophy, having won silver at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and also lost the 2007 World Cup to Germany.
It is curious that Brazil, which has won eight of the nine Copa Americas since its inauguration in 1991, has not managed to transfer its continental dominance to the world stage.
In fact, Marta holds the record for most goals (17) scored in men's or women's World Cups.
The forward, who plays for Orlando Pirates in the United States, has announced that this will be her last chance at the Olympics.
⚽ Racheal Kundananji – Zambia
Kundananji will carry the weight of her nation on her shoulders during the Olympics, and the expectation associated with being the world's most expensive female footballer.
The 24-year-old signed with National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) expansion team Bay FC in February from Spanish club Madrid CFF for a fee of $788,000.
The forward, who played for Zambia at last year's Women's World Cup, has 10 goals in 18 international appearances.
During his time at Madrid, he scored 33 goals in 43 Liga F games after arriving from Sociedad Deportiva Eibar in 2022.
⚽ Aitana Bonmati – Spain
Bonmati was named the 2023 Ballon d'Or winner after a stellar pair of seasons that saw her sweep all before her for club and country.
The 26-year-old, who received her award at a ceremony alongside male winner Lionel Messi, helped her team win the 2023 World Cup in Australia with a 1-0 victory over England.
The midfielder won the Ballon d'Or as the tournament's best player. Bonmati scored six goals in as many games, including one in the final, for Barcelona in a 2-0 win over Lyon last season and lifted the Champions League trophy for the second year in a row.
⚽ Lindsey Horan – United States
Horan will captain the United States, which is by far the most successful team in the short history of women's soccer at the Olympic Games.
The Americans have won four golds, two silvers and one bronze, and only failed to medal at the 2016 Games.
The versatile 30-year-old forward was part of the team that lost its semi-final match to Canada at Tokyo 2020, but tasted the podium with a 4-3 win against Australia in the bronze medal match.
It went some way to making up for the penalty shoot-out defeat, in which Horan scored his first goal, against Sweden four years earlier in the quarter-finals.
Having previously scored 46 goals in 58 games for Paris Saint-Germain, Horan returned to France with Lyon last year after a seven-year stint in the NWSL with the Portland Thorns, where she helped her team win the championship in 2017 and was named league MVP the following season.
⚽ Mary Fowler – Australia
Fowler's stock as a rising star soared ahead of the 2023 World Cup when Australia's standout player, Sam Kerr, was ruled out of two of the tournament's opening matches.
The 20-year-old has been forced to step up in place of the national team captain, who leads Chelsea's attacking line in the English Women's Super League.
Fowler herself had been recruited by English giants Manchester City in 2022 and was already regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the world.
The Queenslander recorded a goal in the group stage, an assist in the round of 16 and scored her sporting spot kick in the penalty shoot-out win over France in the quarter-finals.
Fowler had been selected for the 2019 World Cup as a 16-year-old but injury prevented her from taking part. However, she played a key role in the team that reached the bronze medal match at the 2020 Games and scored in the 4-3 quarter-final win over Great Britain.
The 2024 Paris Olympics could become Fowler's breakthrough tournament if he leads Australia to its first gold medal.
⚽ Stay updated:
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera's dedicated Paris 2024 Olympics tournament page with all the news and features, as well as the build-up to the event and live text commentary on selected football, basketball, tennis and boxing matches.
