UEFA

The Champions League draw on Monday created some tantalizing matchups for the knockout rounds. Now the question is: When does Champions League Round of 16 start in 2020? 

For the first time ever, UEFA held a draw for the UCL Round of 16 only with clubs from the biggest five leagues on the continent, so we knew we were in for some big games from the start of the knockout rounds. The draw confirmed our expectations and then some.

The UEFA Women’s Champions League is the premier continental club competition in the sport. But there are currently so many problems with the Women's Champions League format right now that even the most devout of fans struggle to follow anything more than the last couple rounds.

Fortunately, UEFA recognized its own shortfalls and hopes to address them with a revamped Women's Champions League format to take effect in the 2021-22 season (unfortunately it won’t start next season). 

Beginning on Friday, June 12, with the opening match between Italy and Turkey in Rome and concluding on Sunday, July 12, with the final in London, all 51 matches of UEFA Euro 2020 will be aired live across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC while also being streamed on both the ESPN and ABC apps.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday recommended banning Russia from global sports for four years, including a ban on hosting major events. Oddly, any such ban will not affect the Russia Euro 2020 team, because it does not fall under WADA’s “major event” classification. But questions remain about the 2022 World Cup.

Racism in the Eredivisie — and indeed across Europe — is becoming too much to bear. The Dutch first and second divisions have a plan to try to curb racial abuse in football stadiums in the Netherlands. 

This weekend, every Eredivisie and KKD (second division) match will kick off with an entire minute of players standing still, a nationwide protest to racism in the country. 

After a disastrous 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign that ended with a playoff defeat to Sweden and the firing of manager Gian Piero Ventura, Italy’s just finished its UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying cycle in emphatic fashion: A 9-1 victory over Armenia gives the Azzurri a final record of 10 played, 10 won, 37 scored and only four conceded. 

After hitting a hat-trick against Lithuania last Thursday to bring his international tally up to 98, Cristiano Ronaldo entered today’s match between Portugal and 96th-ranked Luxembourg with his eyes firmly set on becoming the second-ever footballer to reach the century mark for his country. Portugal won 2-0, but it was Bruno Fernandes who opened the scoring for the away side before Ronaldo registered number 99 following a tap-in from millimeters out.

Belgium and Russia had already qualified for the 2020 Euros, both ensured of finishing in the top two in qualifying Group I. The Russians had a chance to overtake the Belgians for first place in the group with a win on Saturday, but the Hazard Brothers weren’t having it.

Eden and Thorgan Hazard combined for three first-half goals as Belgium cruised to a 4-1 win over Russia on Saturday in Saint Petersburg, clinching first place in Group I.