Rio Olympics 2016 Soccer Draw Results: Men's Groups, Bracket, Schedule Revealed
Hosts Brazil will take on South Africa, Iraq and Denmark in their soccer group for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
FIFA revealed the draw via its official Twitter account:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
A total of 32 men's matches will be played, with Iraq kicking off the men's action against Denmark at the Mane Garrincha in Brasilia on August 4, while the hosts will begin their campaign immediately after in the same venue.
The top two teams in each group will progress straight to the quarter-finals. Here is the schedule for the first round of group games, courtesy of FIFA's official website, where the knockout-stage bracket can also be found:
| Thursday, Aug. 4 | 5 p.m./12 p.m. | Group A | Iraq vs. Denmark |
| Thursday, Aug. 4 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | Group A | Brazil vs. South Africa |
| Thursday, Aug. 4 | 11 p.m./6 p.m. | Group B | Sweden vs. Colombia |
| Thursday, Aug. 4 | 2 a.m./9 p.m. | Group B | Nigeria vs. Japan |
| Thursday, Aug. 4 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Group D | Honduras vs. Algeria |
| Thursday, Aug. 4 | 10 p.m./5 p.m. | Group D | Portugal vs. Argentina |
| Thursday, Aug. 4 | 9 p.m./4 p.m. | Group C | Fiji vs. Korea Republic |
| Thursday, Aug. 4 | 12 a.m./7 p.m. | Group C | Mexico vs. Germany |
As always, the men's teams will be restricted to under-23 players only, with just three over-age players allowed to feature.
Across all four teams in each group, Group B arguably includes those that qualified the most impressively, as three won tournaments in their campaigns to feature in Rio.
Sweden won the EUFA European Under-21 Championship last year, while Nigeria and Japan won the CAF U-23 Championship and the AFC U-23 Championship, respectively. Meanwhile, Colombia secured their qualification in a two-legged play-off with the United States.
Brazil have never won Olympic gold and will be desperate to do so on home soil. Assuming they can cope with that pressure, they should have little trouble escaping their group.
However, the quarter-finals will pit them against a team from Group B, where even a runner-up could provide a strong challenge.
If they can make it to the final four, though, they'll certainly fancy their chances of achieving gold or, at the least, a medal.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
