Stuart Pearce has selected his 18-man squad for the London 2012 Olympic football competition, with David Beckham a confirmed omission.

The former England captain was expected to be included in the squad after working as an ambassador for the Games, which included lighting the flame upon it's arrival on British shores.

But Pearce has opted to overlook Beckham, and instead has chosen Manchester United teammate Ryan Giggs, his Welsh counterpart Craig Bellamy and England's Micah Richards as the three over-23 players.

The Manchester City defender is a surprise inclusion after he turned down the opportunity to join the stand-by list for England's European Championship squad, while Giggs, who retired from internatonal duty in 2007, and Bellamy with play in their first major in summer tournament.

Stuart Pearce
Pearce has left out David Beckham from his 18-man squad.

Pearce said: "It has not been an easy task to finalise my squad for this tournament, an the stature of the competition and uniqueness of the occasion has underlined the importance of every choice I have made.

"With just 18 places it is very different from the other international tournaments, the optons are limited, but it is an Olympic Games and every player in this squad should be very proud they have a chance to compete for a gold medal on home soil.

"I remember the huge advantage we gained from playing in front of our own fans during Euro '96 and I'm sure with the nation behind us it could be a fantastic tournament for us."

Arsenal's Aaron Ramey and Swansea City pair Joe Allen and Neil Taylor make up the five-strong Welsh contingent, alongside 13 English based players.

As expected, no players from Scotland of Northern Ireland have been included.

Team GB face Senegal at Old Trafford on 26 July, United Arab Emirates at Wembley on 29 July and Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on 1 August in their Olympic group games.

Both men's and women's teams will face warm-up matches against Brazil and Sweden respectively at the Riverside Stadium on 20 July, both sides' only opportunity to prepare before the Games.

Team GB Olympic football squad:

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jason Steele

Defenders: Ryan Bertrand, Steven Caulker, Craig Dawson, Micah Richards, Neil Taylor, James Tomkins

Midfielders: Joe Allen, Tom Cleverley, Jack Cork, Ryan Giggs, Aaron Ramsey, Danny Rose, Scott Sinclair

Strikers: Craig Bellamy, Marvin Sordell, Daniel Sturridge