The Opening Ceremony is supposed to mark the official start of the Olympics, but the Summer Games actually begin a few days earlier. While the ceremony is scheduled for Friday in Tokyo, events will be taking place Wednesday and Thursday.

Softball will be the first sport to take center stage in Tokyo. The opening round kicks off at Fukushima Azuma Stadium at 9 a.m. local time Wednesday. Because of the time difference, people in the United States can watch the Olympics at 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

Japan faces Australia in the first softball game, which will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network. The United States softball team is set to face Italy on NBC Sports Network at 11 p.m. EDT Tuesday. Mexico and Canada will meet on the same channel in the third and final softball game of the day.

The six softball teams will be back on the field one day later. The U.S. plays Canada in the first game at 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday.

The softball gold medal game takes place Tuesday, July 27 at 7 a.m. EDT. Team USA is the odds-on favorite to win gold.

Women’s soccer is the other sport on the schedule for the first day of events. Six group play matches will start between 3:30 a.m and 7:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday.

The U.S. women’s soccer team will go head-to-head with Sweden at Tokyo Stadium. The match will be replayed at 8:30 a.m. EDT on NBC Sports Network, four hours after it starts live.

Eight men’s group play soccer matches are scheduled for Thursday. The action starts at the Sapporo Dome when Egypt and Spain meet at 3:30 a.m. EDT.

Click here for the complete TV broadcast schedule for the Tokyo Olympics.

The delayed Tokyo Olympics have been plagued by coronavirus concerns
The delayed Tokyo Olympics have been plagued by coronavirus concerns AFP / Philip FONG
RELATED STORIES
Tokyo Olympics Tokyo Olympics Tokyo Olympics