KEY POINTS:
With their places in the Beijing Olympics soccer competition ratified by the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC), the Oly-Whites and Football Ferns now wait to find out who they will be playing.
The official draw takes place in Beijing on April 20 for both the 16-team men's and 12-team women's tournaments.
Having sealed qualification in early March, both Oly-Whites coach Stu Jacobs and Football Ferns coach John Herdman know that the make-up of groups has a large bearing on the two teams' chances.
"It's a wait full with anticipation really.
"Knowing you've sealed your spot, the draw becomes crucial to how far you go in the tournament," Herdman said.
"With ours being a 12-team tournament you're dealing with the best of the best.
"We're really hoping we draw a team such as China who we know really well."
Stu Jacobs was equally enthusiastic about discovering who his U-23 side would be facing in the Olympics.
"It's always exciting to find out who you're playing, although they're all high calibre sides," Jacobs said.
"I'll certainly be following the draw online - it's the most exciting bit outside actually getting there."
All 16 teams in the men's competition have been decided while three spots remain in the women's.
North and Central America will fill two of those in April with Brazil and Ghana squaring off on the eve of the draw to decide the 12th and final spot.
- NZPA
