Olympics 2012 Schedule: Thursday Prelims Events, Top Athletes, TV Info and More

The opening ceremony has yet to take place, but the action is well underway in London.

On Wednesday, ladies football kicked off group play, and on Thursday, the men will get their chance to make an impression. 

Men's Olympic football is quite a bit different from women's. While the female squads are composed of the nation's best overall players, the men's tournament showcases the youngsters.

Countries are allowed to carry three players of any age, but other than those exceptions, it's only players 23 and younger.

That doesn't mean there's a lack of talent on the men's side, though.

It's becoming quite apparent that some of the best players in the world are barely two decades old. For example, Lionel Messi, the world's top player by far, was a part of the Beijing Games in 2008. 

It may not be the World Cup or Euro Cup, but you don't want to miss this tournament. Let's take a look at the first day of action. 

Olympics Schedule for Thursday, July 26

All times EDT

Group D: Honduras vs. Morocco at 7:00 a.m. 

Group B: Mexio vs. South Korea at 9:30 a.m.

Group D: Spain vs. Japan at 9:45 a.m.

Group A: UA Emirates vs. Uruguay at noon

Group B: Gabon vs. Switzerland at 12:15 p.m.

Group C: Belarus vs. New Zealand at 2:45 p.m.

Group C: Brazil vs. Egypt at 2:45 p.m.

Group A: Great Britain vs. Senegal at 3:00 p.m.

For the complete Olympics schedule, check out london2012.com

TV Schedule

All games will be televised on the NBC Sports Network or MSNBC. To find out what channel, check your local listings here.

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com

Top Athletes to Watch

Neymar, Brazil

The Santos FC forward is just 20 years old, but he is without a doubt the most talented player on the best Olympic squad in the world. 

Neymar is one of the most exciting players when he has the ball at his feet. He displays dazzling footwork, skill and pace. And while all of the top clubs already covet the Sau Paulo native, the Olympics could be his time to prove he belongs in the elite class of players.

In 18 total appearances for Brazil's senior team, Neymar has found the back of the net nine times. It's a little scary to think what he might do against a bunch of 21- and 22-year-old defenders. 

Jordia Alba, Spain

While Brazil is the favorite to take home gold, Spain should serve as the biggest obstacle to the prize. 

The Spanish senior team, of course, is coming off a dominant run to the Euro Cup title. One of the biggest contributors on that squad was Alba, who should make an even bigger impact in London.

The new Barcelona full-back may be labeled as a defender, but he's incredibly dangerous in attack. He's quick and highly-skilled. Time and time again in the Euro Cup, he made long, threatening runs down the sideline. 

On a squad full of world superstars, Alba had arguably the best tournament of anyone. Now that the competition should be a step below that, the Olympics should be a piece of cake for Alba. 

If he leads Spain to a gold medal, he could stake claim to being the best left-back in the world. 

Edinson Cavani, Uruguay

Uruguay has a very good chance of taking home bronze or better because of its two main goal scorers, Luis Suarez and Cavani—two of the three over-23 exceptions.

While Suarez, at times, can be one of the best strikers in the world, I'm looking forward to seeing how Cavani will follow up his amazing season with Napoli.

In 36 appearances across all competition, the 25-year-old forward racked up 28 goals and three assists. He hasn't been quite that dominant on the national level, but if his momentum carries him to an effective tournament in London, Uruguay is going to surprise a lot of people. 

Follow @t_keen