IF Euro 2020 wasn’t exciting enough, there is plenty more football to come at the Tokyo Olympics.
And Team GB have their women’s side BACK at the Games, where they are looking to go for the gold they missed out on at London 2012.
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The likes of France, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Germany will be competing in Japan as football makes it’s long awaited return to the Olympics.
The Team GB women’s football team will be right in the mix as well.
The tournament itself will start on Wednesday, July 22 – two days before the opening ceremony – until Saturday, August 8.
Hege Riise’s women’s side are due to play Chile in the first match of the tournament in Group E, on July 21 before also playing Canada and Chile in their other initial group games, which will all be played at the Sapporo Stadium.
Team GB women’s Group E fixtures:
- Wednesday, July 21 – Great Britain vs Chile – 8.30am UK (4.30pm Japan)
- Saturday, July 24 – Japan vs Great Britain – 11am UK approx (7pm Japan)
- Tuesday, July 27 – Canada vs Great Britain – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
*Kick off times marked approximate are because games are clustered into sets of two, the Olympic organisers only give kick-off times for the early matches.
What are the Olympic football groups?
The men’s competition will consist of sixteen teams split up four by four per group and the women’s competition will consist of 12 teams split up in three groups.
Men’s groups
- Group A: Japan, South Africa, Mexico, France
- Group B: New Zealand, South Korea, Honduras, Romania
- Group C: Egypt, Spain, Argentina, Australia
- Group D: Brazil, Germany, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia
Women’s groups
- Group E: Japan, Great Britain, Chile, Canada
- Group F: Brazil, Netherlands, China, Zambia
- Group G: USA, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand
The GB Women’s team qualified for the Olympics by virtue of England’s performance at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, when they finished fourth in France.
Defending champions Germany will not field a women’s side at the Olympics after they lost their World Cup quarter-final to Sweden.
And unlike the men’s event – which is an under-23 tournament – the Olympics is one of women’s football’s biggest events, with no age restrictions.
Olympic football fixtures in full
Games in the same group are being played two at a time in various stadia, so second kick-off times are approximate.
Wednesday July 21 – Women
- E: Great Britain vs Chile – 8.30am UK (4.30pm Japan)
- E: Japan vs Canada – 11am UK approx (7pm Japan)
- F: China vs Brazil – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- F: Zambia vs Netherlands – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
- G: Sweden vs USA – 9.30am UK (5.30pm Japan)
- G: Australia vs New Zealand – 12 Noon UK approx (8pm Japan)
Thursday July 22 – Men
- C: Egypt vs Spain – 8.30am UK (4.30pm Japan)
- C: Argentina vs Australia – 11am UK approx (7pm Japan)
- A: Mexico vs France – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- A: Japan vs South Africa – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
- B: New Zealand vs South Korea – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- B: Honduras vs Romania – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
- D: Ivory Coast vs Saudi Arabia – 9.30am UK (5.30am Japan)
- D: Brazil vs Germany – 12 Noon UK approx (8pm Japan)
Saturday July 24 – Women
- E: Chile vs Canada – 8.30am UK (4.30pm Japan)
- E: Japan vs Great Britain – 11am UK approx (7pm Japan)
- F: China vs Zambia – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- F: Netherlands vs Brazil – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
- G: Sweden vs Australia – 9.30am UK (5.30am Japan)
- G: New Zealand vs USA – 12 Noon UK approx (8pm Japan)
Sunday July 25 – Men
- C: Egypt vs Argentina – 8.30am UK (4.30pm Japan)
- C: Australia vs Spain – 11am UK approx (7pm Japan)
- B: New Zealand vs Honduras – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- B: Romania vs South Korea- 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
- A: France vs South Africa – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- A: Japan vs Mexico – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
- D: Brazil vs Ivory Coast – 9.30am UK (5.30am Japan)
- D: Saudi Arabia vs Germany – 12 Noon UK approx (8pm Japan)
Tuesday July 27 – Women
- G: New Zealand vs Sweden – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- E: Chile vs Japan – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
- G: USA vs Australia – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- E: Canada vs Great Britain – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
- F: Brazil vs Zambia – 12.30pm UK (8.30pm Japan)
- F: Netherlands vs China – 12.30pm UK (8.30pm Japan)
Wednesday July 28 – Men
- D: Germany vs Ivory Coast – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- C: Australia vs Egypt – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
- D: Saudi Arabia vs Brazil – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- C: Australia vs Egypt – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)
- B: Romania vs New Zealand – 9.30am UK (5.30am Japan)
- A: South Africa vs Mexico – 12 Noon UK approx (8pm Japan)
- B: South Korea vs Honduras – 9.30am UK (5.30am Japan)
- A: France vs Japan – 12 Noon UK approx (8pm Japan)
Friday July 30 – Women
- Women’s quarter final 1 – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- Women’s quarter final 2 – 10am UK (6pm Japan)
- Women’s quarter final 3 – 11am UK (7pm Japan)
- Women’s quarter final 4 – 12 noon UK (8pm Japan)
Saturday July 31 – Men
- Men’s quarter final 1 – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- Men’s quarter final 2 – 10am UK (6pm Japan)
- Men’s quarter final 3 – 11am UK (7pm Japan)
- Men’s quarter final 4 – 12 noon UK (8pm Japan)
Monday August 2 – Women
- Women’s semi final 1 – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- Women’s semi final 2 – 12 noon UK (8pm Japan)
Tuesday August 3 – Men
- Men’s semi final 1 – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
- Men’s semi final 2 – 12 noon UK (8pm Japan)
Thursday August 5 – Women
- Women’s bronze medal match – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
Friday August 6 – Women and Men
- Women’s gold medal final – 3am UK (11am Japan)
- Men’s bronze medal match – 12 Noon UK (8pm Japan)
Saturday August 7 – Men
- Men’s gold medal final – 12.30pm UK (8.30pm Japan)
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
