Queens draw Norway, Australia & Canada

WUHAN, China -- Ghana's women's soccer team will face Norway, Australia and Ghana in the opening round of the 2007 FIFA women's World Cup.

Those four countries make up Group C as picked in Sunday's draw for the 16-team tournament, Sept. 10-30 in China.

Ghana's stiffest competition should come from No. 3-ranked Norway. The Canadians are ranked 10th, Australia 14th while Ghana is 48th.

Germany was placed in Group A with preliminary matches against Japan, England and Argentina.

The top-ranked United States got a tough draw, placed in Group B with Sweden, North Korea and Nigeria.

Host China was seeded in Group D and will face New Zealand, Brazil and Denmark.

Teams must finish in the top two in their groups to advance.

This women's World Cup promises to be the most competitive so far. In addition to the four seeded teams, Sweden and Brazil are seen as serious contenders. Several other teams are also in the mix: England, Japan, North Korea, Denmark, Australia and Nigeria.

Host China, ranked No. 11 in the world, might have received a break from FIFA. Prior to the draw, North Korea was placed in Group B by FIFA. The current positioning means China and North Korea cannot meet sooner than the semifinals.

FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi was asked four times about the move, but gave few answers in a news conference.

For the first time in the women's World Cup, the total of $6.4 million in prize money will be spread among all teams. The winner will get $1 million. The tournament will be played at five venues. In addition to Shanghai, matches will be held in Wuhan, Chengdu, Tianjin and Hangzhou.