Olympic women’s football draw: Britain face hosts Japan at Tokyo 2020
Team GB’s women are taking part in only their second Games having also featured at the 2012 Olympics in London
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Your support makes all the difference.Great Britain have been drawn against hosts Japan and reigning bronze medallists Canada in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic women’s football tournament.
England’s interim manager Hege Riise will take charge of Team GB, who will be taking part in just their second Games, having also featured at the 2012 Olympics in London.
They were drawn in Group E alongside Japan, Canada and Chile, whom they will face in their opening fixture.
Teams in each group will play one another on a round-robin basis, with the top two and the two best third-placed teams advancing to the quarter-finals.
Great Britain will open their campaign against Chile in Sapporo on 21 July before facing Japan at the same venue three days later and taking on Canada in Kashima on 27 July.
Canada beat England in a friendly last week and have claimed bronze in the women’s football at the previous two Olympics.
Britain could face Holland in the quarter-finals. The runners-up from 2016 managed by Sarina Wiegman, who will take over as England boss after the Games.
Unlike for the men, the women’s tournament has no restrictions on age and Riise has already named a 35-strong longlist of players.
In the men’s competition, Brazil, gold medallists and hosts from 2016, will face Germany in Group D, while 2012 winners Mexico were pitted against Japan in Group A.
Men’s teams are usually restricted to selecting players under the age of 23, with just three overage players allowed.
However, following the postponement of the Games due to the coronavirus pandemic, the same restrictions are in place, meaning squads will largely be composed of under-24 players.
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