Ronaldo (pictured top), part of the Brazil team which finished third at the 1996 Olympic Games, is due to be joined by Kelly Smith, England's record women's goalscorer.

The former Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan forward, who retired last year following a spell back in Brazil with Corinthians, is part of the Organising Committee for the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

Thirty-two teams will discover their fate when the draws take place at Wembley at 11am, where the final of both Olympic tournaments will be contested.

Ahead of the draw just one place remains to be decided – the final men's qualifier, with Senegal and Oman facing off tonight at the City of Coventry stadium in a match doubling as the London 2012 football test event.

Although it does not have the profile of the World Cup or European Championships, the Olympic tournament is still a prestigious event and has historically been one of the most open of international competitions.

Indeed, football was the first team event to be included at the Olympics when it appeared as an exhibition sport in 1900 and 1904; it also enjoyed the distinction of being the first major international tournament in the sport.

Former FIFA President Jules Rimét, the man who conceived of the idea of the World Cup, was also inspired by the Olympics when formulating his plan for football's blue riband quadrennial event.


Five-times world champions Brazil has never claimed victory in Olympic football and will be determined to finally end that run this year; by contrast the most successful nation at the Games is Hungary, which claimed three gold medals between 1952 and 1968, the first of which was inspired by the legendary Ferenc Puskás, but has never bagged the World Cup.

Europe has won more Olympic golds than any other confederation; however, seven of those came before the UEFA European Championship was first played in 1960, and only Spain has claimed victory since 1984.

Spain will be among the favourites this summer with a golden generation of players having won the World Cup in 2010 and European Championship in 2008 in recent years.

Although many of its star players cannot play in the Olympics, as they are either over the age of 23 or will be defending the European Championship title in Ukraine and Poland, Spain boasts a host of promising youngsters.

This was emphasised by its victory in the last European Under-21 Championship, which sealed the country's qualification for the Olympics.

Ander Herrera and Iker Muniain of Athletic Bilbao, and Barcelona pair Christian Tello and Thiago Alcantara are among the most talented of another gifted generation.

Brazil will bring a strong and experienced team to London this summer and, as the next hosts of the World Cup in 2014, will be under pressure to win gold.

In Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso Brazil has two of the world's best young players, and the Olympics represents a chance for both to make a mark on the world stage.

The Santos duo was instrumental as its team won the Copa Libertadores last year for the first time since Pele's legendary team of the 1960s triumphed.

Brazil will also make full use of the overage player rule that allows them to bring in three players older than 23.

Chelsea's David Luiz, AC Milan's Thiago Silva and Luisão of Benfica are among the front runners for overage selection with Brazil expected to prefer a defence featuring experienced heads.

Stars Káká and Robinho have not been included on the long list of players for selection this summer although former World Player of the Year Ronaldinho is due to feature – and he could be motivated to show his true worth in London after experiencing a miserable period with Flamengo in Brazil.

Other contenders for glory include Copa America champions Uruguay along with Egypt, who have won three of the last four African Nations Cup titles – although the latter's preparations have been thrown into turmoil by the much-publicised Port Said tragedy and the subsequent suspension of football in the country.

A good bet for gold will be Mexico which has been impressive in qualifying and boasts a strong selection pool, including under-23s Carlos Vela, of Real Sociedad, and Jonathan and Giovani dos Santos, of Barcelona and Tottenham, respectively.

Rafa Marquez, playing for New York Red Bulls, Deportivo's Andres Guardado and Javier Hernandez of Manchester United are also strong contenders for a place in the Mexican squad.

Also qualified for the men's tournament are Switzerland, Honduras, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea along with hosts Great Britain.

Making their debut at the Games will be Belarus, Gabon and United Arab Emirates along with the winner of the Oman-Senegal tie tonight.

Britain will field a unified team for the first time since the 1972 Munich Olympics – although the decision has provoked anger from the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Football Associations which fear their independence as individual football nations is at risk.

Britain will be wary, however, as the host nation has not done well at recent championships with China and the United States going out at the group stage in 2008 and 1996 while Greece in 2004 and Australia in 2000 finished last in their individual groups.

With 36-year-old former England captain David Beckham (pictured above) likely to line up alongside Welsh stars Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, England will be optimistic of bucking the trend.


In the women's tournament, the US and Japan are set to resume their rivalry a year after meeting in the final of the World Cup in Germany.

Japan won that match on penalties and again edged out the US at the recent Kirin Cup, which it contested along with Brazil.

Japan will hope to be the first reigning world champion to win the Olympics, but know that the US will want revenge for last year's defeat.

The US romped through qualifying without conceding a goal and looked in ominous form.

Like the US, Brazil has always finished in the top four, and boast the world's best player in recent years, the striker Marta, who has won the Ballon D'Or five times.

They will hope that the goals of Cristiane (pictured above, in yellow), the joint leading scorer historically at the Olympics, will fire them to a first gold.

Japan, the US and Brazil will be the teams to avoid in the women's draw while France could be a dark horse.

It has a number of players in the current Lyon team which is dominating European football and the French will be a threat to whichever team is pitted against it.

The Olympic women's football tournament was first contested in the US in 1996, and the Americans have won three of the four gold medals since.

The only other team to claim a victory is Norway which will not be in London this summer.

Sweden, New Zealand, North Korea and Canada all return to the Games, but London 2012 marks the first time Cameroon, Colombia, South Africa, hosts Britain and France will have competed.

The women's tournament will feature three groups, with the top two in each and the best two runners-up progressing to the quarter-finals.

In the men's competition, four groups of four will be drawn, and the top two from each will advance to the last eight.

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