Olympic hosts Great Britain draw Brazil

Olympic Games hosts Great Britain & Northern Ireland will take on New Zealand, Cameroon and two-time silver medallists Brazil as they compete in the women's football tournament for the first time this summer.

Managed by England coach Hope Powell, the Great Britain & NI team will take part in the first event of the games, facing New Zealand on 25 July at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, followed by the other Group E opener between Brazil and Cameroon. The Great Britain & NI team is made up of four UEFA member associations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Sweden, becoming the only European team to take part in all five tournaments since the inaugural women's football event in 1996, are in Group F against world champions Japan, Canada and South Africa.

France are making their Olympic debut having, like Sweden, reached last year's FIFA Women's World Cup semi-finals. They will face the United States – who have beaten Brazil in the last two finals – Colombia and North Korea in Group G.

The top two teams in each group plus the two best third-placed teams progress to the quarter-finals on 3 August, with the semis three days later. The final is at Wembley Stadium on 9 August, the same day as the bronze medal is won in Coventry.

Only one European team, Norway in 2000, has taken gold, with every other event won by the United States. Norway also earned bronze in 1996, while Germany secured that medal in the subsequent three editions, but are missing their first Olympic Games after their World Cup quarter-final elimination last year.

Draw
Group E: Great Britain & NI (hosts), New Zealand, Cameroon, Brazil
Group F: Japan, Canada, Sweden, South Africa
Group G: United States, France, Colombia, North Korea

European teams in bold