April 27, 2021 - Shocking news from FIFA has spread around the world - the Tokyo Olympics soccer schedule was officially unveiled yesterday. The much-anticipated first group match between the Chinese women's soccer team and Brazil will kick off at 4 p.m. BST on July 21 at the Miyagi Stadium in Japan, which is quite far away from Tokyo.
Located in Miyagi Prefecture, which was hit hard by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Miyagi Stadium, the opening venue for the Chinese women's soccer team, has a capacity of more than 49,000 people and was one of the venues for the 2002 World Cup soccer tournament, according to the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.
Immediately following the match, the Chinese women's soccer team will play their second round group match against Zambia at the same venue, Miyagi Stadium, on July 24 at 4:00 p.m. BST. The third round match will be played at the Yokohama International Stadium against the Netherlands on July 27 at 7:30 p.m. BST.
Thanks to the one hour time difference between China and Japan, this schedule is undoubtedly very friendly for domestic fans to watch the games live.
The Tokyo Olympics women's soccer tournament features 12 strong teams, which are equitably assigned to three groups for the group stage. According to the rules, the top two teams from each group, as well as the two third-place teams with the best results, will advance to the knockout rounds (i.e., the final 8). Quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place playoffs and the final will then follow. The final will be played on August 6th.
