While the games of the Rio Olympics won’t officially open until Friday’s opening ceremony, the women’s and men’s soccer competitions will get underway beforehand. Wednesday marks the start of the women’s soccer tournament, with Sweden and South Africa meeting at Noon Eastern in the first of six matches on the day.
Captain Lotta Schelin will look to lead Sweden to its first-ever Olympic medal in the event, with their fourth place finish in 2004 representing the nation’s best finish. In South Africa the Swedes meet a team that enters the Olympics ranked 52nd in FIFA’s world rankings, their highest ranking since 2013 (50th).