OLYMPICS: Great Britain's men's and women's football teams face a rigorous test of their credentials in the Olympic tournament following Tuesday's draw for the group phase.
The men's side, which will be managed by Stuart Pearce, will face Uruguay, the United Arab Emirates and Senegal in the London 2012 event.
The men's teams are made up of under-23 players with three over-age players permitted per squad.
Uruguay could represent a potentially very tricky test for Great Britain if the South Americans opt to choose prolific strikers Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan as two of three overage picks.
Hope Powell's women's team have a similarly hard draw, having been pitted against Brazil, but they will be confident of progressing with Cameroon and New Zealand making up the rest of their group.
Unlike the men's tournament, there are no age restictions in the women's competition.
Powell said she was relishing the prospect of a clash with Brazil at Wembley in their Group E clash.
"(Brazil) will be a great game for us," Powell said. "They are undoubtedly the tough team in the group, they are always there or thereabouts in major tournaments. We know who we're up against now so it's all about the preparation."
The Great Britain women's team have the honour of kicking off the London 2012 Olympics when they take on New Zealand in Cardiff on July 25, two days before the official opening ceremony.
They then face Cameroon on July 28, again in Cardiff, before concluding their group campaign against Brazil.
Pearce's side will kick off the tournament against Senegal at Old Trafford, Manchester, on July 26, then play the UAE at Wembley on July 29 and finish the group against Uruguay in Cardiff on August 1.
Pearce said he would be travelling to the United States to see former England captain David Beckham, now with the Los Angeles Galaxy, but insisted there were no guarantees of inclusion to anyone - including Beckham.
He told BBC Sport: "(I will pick) solely on merit. It's the only way any manager picks a squad or a team and I will do exactly the same."
Olympic tournament draws
Men's draw
Group A: Great Britain, Senegal, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay
Group B: Mexico, South Korea, Gabon, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Egypt, Belarus, New Zealand
Group D: Spain, Japan, Honduras, Morocco
Women's draw
Group E: Great Britain, New Zealand, Cameroon, Brazil
Group F: Japan, Canada, Sweden, South Africa
Group G: USA, France, Colombia, Korea DPR
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