London, England – Great Britain will make its first appearance in men's Olympic soccer in 52 years against Senegal, the draw for this summer's tournament revealed Thursday.
Great Britain, hosts of the tournament, last appeared in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. Senegal will make its first appearance in the Olympics.
Great Britain and Senegal were drawn in Group A along with United Arab Emirates and Uruguay for the men's tournament, which features under-23 squads with three overage players. UAE is also making its first appearance, and Uruguay returns for the first time since winning back-to-back gold medals in 1924 and 1928.
The tournament starts July 26 with two matches in each of the four men's groups - including Great Britain vs. Senegal at Old Trafford in Manchester, England.
Mexico, South Korea, Gabon and Switzerland were drawn in to Group B. Mexico has played in eight previous tournament, while South Korea will make its seventh straight appearance. Gabon qualified for the first time, and Switzerland makes its first appearance in over eight decades.
Brazil, Egypt, Belarus and New Zealand are in Group C. Brazil has never won the Olympic men's tournament, Egypt qualified for the 11th time, Belarus qualified for the first time, and New Zealand will make its second straight appearance.
Spain, Japan, Honduras and Morocco are in Group D. Spain captured Olympic gold in 1992 and silver in 2000, Japan is the only Asian team to ever medal (bronze in Mexico in 1968), Honduras returns for the second straight tournament, and Morocco qualified for the seventh time - second most for an African side.
The top two finishers in each group advance to the quarterfinals, which start Aug. 4. The final is Aug. 11 at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
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