Soccer's European Championship kicks off on Friday with the 24 teams' battle for glory accompanied by off-field conflict over the anti-racism gesture of "taking the knee".
England were booed by some of their fans in two friendlies while Ireland were jeered in Hungary for kneeling before kickoff in a move borrowed from American NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and popularised by the Black Lives Matter movement.
The build-up to every major international tournament is the same: who has the best striker? Or, this is why x midfielder is going to dominate or why this winger is the key to this country getting out of its group.
But no one ever talks about the goalkeepers. In such a short tournament, where three matches decide a team's fate, the importance of the goalkeeper becomes magnified.
So let's give the goalkeepers the spotlight for a little bit, because often they're the ones that end up deciding the tournament.
Si bien la Copa América todavía es una incógnita, tranquilos, muchachos, que este verano no hay sequía de fútbol. De hecho, el próximo viernes 11 de junio comienza la Euro 2020.
Sí, 2020 en 2021, porque ya saben: Covid-19.
El torneo se jugará en 11 ciudades del Viejo Continente y por segunda vez en su historia tendrá 24 selecciones participantes. ¿Quiénes son? ¿Cuáles son los grupos? ¿Cuándo son los partidos? ¿Dónde puedo verlos? Bueno, todo lo que necesitas saber está aquí.
With no due respect to the Concacaf Nations League, meaningful international soccer returns from a Covid-induced hiatus with Euro 2020, slated for June 11 to July 11. Hosted in 11 cities across Europe, the European Championship will mark the first major international tournament since the Covid-19 pandemic struck the planet. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch Euro 2020 in the U.S., from TV to streaming.
The following are the 12 host cities set to host Euro 2020 matches and their commitments for how many spectators will be allowed to attend after European soccer's governing body UEFA confirmed their plans on Friday.
Munich, Rome, Bilbao and Dublin have been given until April 19 to provide additional information.
London, England
* Venue: Wembley Stadium (Capacity: 90,000)
* Matches: Three group games, one last-16 game, both semi-finals and the final
Russia will host the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup from Aug. 19-29. The qualifying matches have yet to be played. In some countries, the curfew and lockdowns are still in force due to Covid-19 and the global health crisis.
The million-dollar question: Will there or won't there be a beach soccer World Cup this summer in Europe? I would say: It all depends on the pandemic, its consequences and the accumulation of international sports events that have been postponed since 2020.
LUXEMBOURG - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal of the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign but then missed a sitter as the visitors came from behind to beat Luxembourg 3-1 on Tuesday.
The hosts went into the match full of confidence after winning 1-0 away to Ireland and took a shock lead against the European champions when Portuguese-born Gerson Rodrigues glanced in a header on the half-hour for his second goal in two games.
GOAL FOR LUXEMBOURG!!
Portuguese football fans will be understandably aggrieved following the goal-line controversy in Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Serbia. It's important to remember though that the Seleção is still tied for first in its qualifying group — a very easy group at that.
BELGRADE - A Cristiano Ronaldo goal not given in a dramatic World Cup qualifier between Serbia and Portugal would have stood if the two football associations had agreed before the game to use goal-line technology, UEFA said on Monday.
Portugal captain Ronaldo was left fuming and got booked for dissent after his stoppage-time effort in Saturday's Group A 2-2 draw at Serbia was cleared by Stefan Mitrović after the ball had crossed the line as shown by television replays.
BELGRADE — Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic became his country's all-time top scorer on 39 goals from 63 international appearances after he netted in a 2-2 home draw with Portugal in a thrilling 2022 World Cup Group A qualifier on Saturday.
The Serbians fought back from two goals down to earn a share of the spoils as Fulham striker Mitrovic pulled one back in the 46th minute and Filip Kostic levelled after a Diogo Jota double had given Portugal a 2-0 lead in the first half.