Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Olympic football draw pits both NZ teams against Brazil

Updated at 12:54 pm on 27 April 2012

The New Zealand women's football team will kick off the London Olympics against the hosts Great Britain in Cardiff.

The draw for the pool games was made at Wembley Stadium overnight - the Football Ferns will also face Brazil and Olympic debutants Cameroon, while the New Zealand men's side also faces Brazil as well as Belarus and Egypt.

The Football Ferns open the Olympics against host nation Great Britain at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on July 26th, two days before the opening ceremony, before squaring off against two-times silver medallist Brazil at the same venue three days later and wrapping up pool play against Olympic debutant Cameroon at the City of Coventry Stadium.

The Oly Whites, captained by Ryan Nelsen as one of three overage players in an otherwise under-23 squad, will open their campaign against Belarus on July 27th in Coventry, face Egypt at Old Trafford on July 30th before facing a star-studded Brazilian line-up at Newcastle's St James' Park on August 2nd.

The top two teams from each pool qualify for the quarter-finals.

Britain, taking part in their first Olympic soccer event since 1960, will kick off the bid for gold against Senegal at Manchester United's Old Trafford on July 27th.

There are 16 teams in the men's draw and 12 in the women's.

Argentina are the defending men's Olympic champions and the United States the women.

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