Maracana to host Olympic football finals, FIFA says

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The men’s and women’s Olympic football finals will be played at the Maracana stadium, FIFA announced on Tuesday.

The opening game will be a women’s group match on Aug. 3 at the Olympic Stadium in host city Rio de Janeiro, FIFA added. The tournament officially kicks off two days later.

The opening men’s match will be on Aug. 4 in Brasilia, the most expensive stadium built for the 2014 World Cup but little used since because no big teams play in the city.

Seven stadiums will host games — two in Rio, plus arenas in Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Manaus, Salvador and Sao Paulo.

“As at London 2012, the hosts have been drawn as A1 and E1 in their respective tournaments,” a FIFA statement said.

“This means that, during the group stage, the home crowd will be able to cheer on its men in Brasilia and Salvador, and its women in Rio de Janeiro and Manaus.”

(Writing by Andrew Downie; editing by Ken Ferris)