London, – A women’s soccer match in Wales will kick off the 2012 Olympics programme a full two days before the flame is lit in London for ‘the greatest showon earth’.

The competition schedule with dates, times and prices for the 19-day sporting extravaganza was published online on Tuesday after years of planning and exactly a month before 6.6 million public tickets go on sale.

Members of Nigerian team during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games first round Group F women's football match against Germany at the Shenyang Olympic Stadium on August 9, 2008.Germany won 1-0

The very first event will be more around 200km away to the west at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, which hosts a preliminary match for the women’s soccer tournament at 1600 local time (3 p.m. British time) on July 25.

While elite athletes around the world had their first look at the official timetable, ordinary citizens across Britain could start planning their own once-in-a-lifetime experience as spectators.

London’s first glimpse of Olympic action will be the unticketed men’s and women’s archery individual ranking round at Lord’s cricket ground on July 27, hours before the formal opening ceremony watched by an estimated global television audience of 4 billion.

The Games proper will start with a gunshot, if not heard around the world then at least opening the men’s 10m air pistol and women’s 10m air rifle shooting at the Royal Artillery Barracks from 0815 local time (7:15 a.m. British time) on July 28.

Those events in south-east London are also set to provide the first of the Games’ 302 medals.

Prices ranged from a symbolic but stratospheric 2,012 pounds for the best seat at the opening ceremony to 20.12 for the cheapest on the night.

The schedule lists more than 670 sessions at 34 venues in 26 sports, with some 2.5 million tickets priced at 20 pounds or less and children enjoying a “pay your age” scheme.

Other events, such as the two marathons and cycling’s road races, will be free to watch.

“Publishing the Olympic sports competition schedule means that everyone — athletes, coaches, spectators, broadcasters and
everybody who wants to be part of London 2012 can now start planning their Games,” said London Olympic Organising Committee (LOCOG) chairman Sebastian Coe.

“The Olympic Games is the greatest show on earth … The world’s greatest athletes in every one of the 26 Olympic sports are now honing their preparation to a specific point of time on a
specific date in July and August 2012.

“Families up and down the country can now plan their summer of 2012,” added the former Olympic champion.

“Our message to the public is clear — the superstars of twenty six world sports are coming to the UK and you have the chance to say ‘I was there’