Manaus, situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers, joins Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Salvador and São Paulo as cities that could be chosen to stage football matches during the Games, with the FIFA now set to make a decision over which venues will be chosen.

The addition of the of Manuas follows confirmation last month that additional venues were being considered after concerns had been raised that pitches could suffer from over-usage, as they were set to host two matches a day during the group stage of the tournament.

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup Manaus staged four matches, including England's defeat to Italy, with England manager Roy Hodgson claiming prior to the tournament that the location would make it difficult for players, due to the heat and humidity.

The men and women's football tournaments will be the only competition taking place outside of the host city and, if selected, Manaus will be the venue furthest away from the host city, by a distance of over 4,000 kilometres, a flying time of more than three-and-a-half hours.

In contrast, the furthest venue from London during the 2012 Olympics was Glasgow, which was 550 kilometres, a 75 minute flight. 

But Rio 2016 organisers believe that spreading the venues around Brazil will help to spread the Olympic spirit throughout the country, as teams compete for the right to play for gold in the finals in the Maracanã.

Manaus hosted four matches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup ©AFP/Getty Images



The men's competition will see 16 under-23 teams from all six Confederations taking part, with three overage players each in their squad.

Argentina became the first nation to qualify for the men's competition after winning the men's under-20 South American Championship and join the hosts Brazil.

In the women's tournament there are no age restrictions and there are 12 teams due to take part, with Colombia, runners up in the 2014 Copa America already assured of their place alongside Brazil.

Football fixtures are due to take place from August 3 to 19, 2016.

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