Matildas coach Alen Stajcic believes his side can make their mark on the world stage at the Rio Olympics after being drawn in Group F with Germany, Canada and Zimbabwe.

Stajcic’s side are ranked fifth in the FIFA standings and were placed in a pot with France and Sweden for the draw which took place on Thursday at the Maracan in Rio.

The Matildas open their campaign against world number 10-ranked Canada on Wednesday, August 3 in Sao Paulo as they embark on their attempt to claim Australia’s first ever Olympic football medal.

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In the second match they face world No.2 Germany on August 6 before completing their group against Zimbabwe in Salvador on August 9.

“It’s a very exciting group and we know that if we play to our potential we can be really competitive,” Stajcic said.

“We have taken some significant steps forward in the past 12 months and we will head to Rio with a real belief that we can challenge for medals.”

“The chance to compete at the Olympics only comes around every four years and we are determined to make the most of this opportunity.

“We’ve an extremely talented group and we showed in the qualifiers the type of football we can play so we are confident we can match it with anyone and we will give it our all when we get to Brazil.”