Soccer will be the first sport in action in London 2012, with preliminary round matches beginning on July 25, two days before the Opening Ceremony.

The men's tournament begins with the 16 teams divided into four groups of four while the women's tournament begins with the 12 teams divided into three groups of four.

Beginning in Barcelona 1992, the men's tournament became an under-23 championship.  The rule was modified four years later to allow three players of any age on each roster.  For London 2012, this means that aside from the three wild cards for each team, all players must have been born on or after January 1, 1989.  There are no such age limitations on the women's tournament so the same national teams that compete in the FIFA Women's World Cup are eligible to compete in the Olympic Games.

There are a total of six stadiums that will be used for the Olympic soccer tournaments.  Matches in both the men's and women's tournaments will be played in cities around Great Britain.  Locations include Wembley Stadium, Millennium Stadium, City of Coventry Stadium, Old Trafford, St James' Park and Hampden Park. Wembley will host the gold medal events in both the men's and women's competition.

London 2012 Storylines:
Traditional soccer superpower Brazil is expected to challenge for gold on the men's side, however Argentina will surprisingly not defend its men's Olympic soccer title, having failed to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic tournament. The two South America spots were earned by both Brazil and Uruguay.

While Brazil is the most successful nation in FIFA World Cup history, winning five titles, it has never won an Olympic gold medal in men's soccer.  Brazil has won two silver (1984, 1988) and two bronze medals (1996, 2008).

Host Great Britain has won three Olympic gold medals (1900, 1908 and 1912) in men's soccer, yet London 2012 will mark the nation's first appearance in the Olympic tournament since Rome 1960. Former England captain and current Los Angeles Galaxy star David Beckham has stated his desire to play for Great Britain as one of the team's three allowed “wild-card” entries.

Canada's Outlook:
Canada has competed in the men's Olympic tournament on just three occasions: St. Louis 1904 (when it won gold over two American teams in a three-team tournament), Montreal 1976 (as the host nation) and Los Angeles 1984.  The Canadian men's team is currently ranked seventh in the CONCACAF standings and will need to win their Continental Confederation tournament to qualify for the Games.

Canada entered the women's Olympic tournament for the first time in Beijing 2008, finishing eighth.  The Canadian women's team is currently ranked second in the CONCACAF standings and sixth in the world, its best-ever ranking.  While the Canadian women's team was expected to challenge the likes of the United States, Brazil and Germany at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, Canada was eliminated in the group stage of a tournament eventually won by Japan.  The team earned a measure of redemption at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament in Vancouver where they finished second overall and officially earned an Olympic berth.  The women's national team is led by captain Christine Sinclair, a finalist for the 2010 FIFA Women's World Player of the year.

International Teams – At a Glance:

MEN'S TEAMS

Brazil

• Finished second at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, losing to Ghana on penalty kicks in the final; all members of this team are age-eligible for London 2012
• The U-20 World Cup team was led by Alex Teixeira and Alan Kardec; Teixeira was awarded the Silver Ball as the tournament's second-best player while Kardec was among the leading scorers with four goals
• Teenager Neymar scored nine goals in the 2011 South American U-20 tournament to help Brazil qualify for the London 2012 Games

United States

• The top-ranked team in the FIFA Women's World Ranking
• Won Olympic gold in Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 and Olympic silver in Sydney 2000

Brazil

• Won Olympic silver in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008
• Team is led by Marta, who scored seven goals at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup and nine goals at the 2010 South American Women's Championship; she is a four-time FIFA Women's World Player of the Year

Germany

• Won Olympic bronze in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008
• Won the 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup