CONCACAF Nations League final, Spain vs Portugal headline our top live games for June 4-10, 2021

Top games to watch this week

Friday, June 4

Brazil vs Ecuador (World Cup qualifiers)

Spain vs Portugal (International Friendly)

Italy vs Czech Republic (International Friendly)

Nigeria vs Cameroon (International Friendly)

Brazil vs Ecuador (World Cup qualifiers)

Saturday, June 5

Aruba vs Canada (World Cup qualifiers) 

Wales vs Albania (International Friendly)

Sunday, June 6

England vs Romania (International Friendly)

Netherlands vs Georgia (International Friendly)

Belgium vs Croatia (International Friendly)

Germany U-21 vs Portugal U-21 (UEFA EURO U21 Final)

Honduras vs Costa Rica (CONCACAF Nations League 3rd place playoff)

USA vs Mexico (CONCACAF Nations League Final)

Monday, June 7

Germany vs Latvia (International Friendly)

Tuesday, June 8

Poland vs Iceland (International Friendly)

Cameroon vs Nigeria (International Friendly)

Spain vs Lithuania (International Friendly)

France vs Bulgaria (International Friendly)

Ecuador vs Peru (World Cup qualifiers)

Venezuela vs Uruguay (World Cup qualifiers)

Colombia vs Argentina (World Cup qualifiers)

Paraguay vs Brazil (World Cup qualifiers)

Chile vs Bolivia (World Cup qualifiers)

Wednesday, June 9

Portugal vs Israel (International Friendly)

USA vs Costa Rica (International Friendly)

What are the must-watch games this week?

Spain vs Portugal and Belgium vs Croatia headline this week's top friendlies live on TUDN and fuboTV

With Euro 2020 being right around the corner, several of the participating nations will partake in interesting friendly games in preparation for the summer European Championship. The two standout fixtures scheduled for this week are Spain vs Portugal and Belgium vs Croatia, which will be aired in the USA via TUDN and fuboTV.

Spain vs Portugal is the earlier of the two ties, taking place on Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET, with this fixture also being brought to the US screens courtesy of ESPN, Sling TV, and VIDGO. Cristiano and Co, the reigning champions of Europe, will look to get the better of Luis Enrique's high-flying side when the two lock horns in Madrid. Having beaten Germany 6-0 not too long ago, La Furia Roja will be keen on adding another continental rival to their list of victims.

FIFA's highest-ranked nation Belgium will be involved in an intriguing tie, taking on Croatia, ranked 14th in the world. Despite qualifying for Euro 2020, Modric and Co. have struggled to match the heights of their impressive 2018 World Cup campaign. Victory over the Red Devils would be a huge confidence boost. Unfortunately for them, Roberto Martinez's men haven't lost once in their last eight outings.

Brazil vs Ecuador this Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET live on fubo Latino

On one side we have the international friendlies, on the other we have the World Cup qualifiers. Brazil are set to resume their campaign to book their Qatar 2022 ticket, taking on Ecuador in what should be a thrilling encounter. Argentina's slip-up against Chile means the first-placed Selecao can add to their lead at the top but they will be taking on an Ecuador side that are currently third in the table. Gustavo Alfaro's men are also the only team who have outscored the five-time world champions. Will they pull off a victory over Brazil? Tune in to find out.

Germany U21 vs Portugal U21 this Sunday in the UEFA Euro U-21 final at 3 p.m. ET live on ESPN, TUDN, and fuboTV

The UEFA Euro U-21 final is set. Portugal will be taking on Germany in the ultimate game after beating defending champions Spain in the semi-finals. That clash between the two neighbors ended 1-0 in favor of the Esperanças, with the winning strike coming in the final 10 minutes courtesy of a Jorge Cuenca own goal. They are now just 90 minutes away from the title, with only Germany standing in their way. Stefan Kuntz's side, on the other hand, beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the penultimate stage thanks to a brace from Florian Wirtz. Make sure to catch the final live this Sunday!

USA take on Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET live on Paramount+, TUDN, Univison, fuboTV, and CBS Sports Network

John Brooks, Weston McKennie, and Jordan Siebatcheu all combined for the winning goal – the latter of the three scored – against Honduras as USA secured a 1-0 triumph in the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League, booking a clash with Mexico in the final. Given these two countries' well-documented footballing rivalry, this tie promises to be a mouthwatering showdown. El Tri made their way to the ultimate stage courtesy of a penalty shootout triumph over Costa Rica as the game ended 0-0 after normal time. Who will win the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League title? Paramount+, TUDN, Univision, fuboTV and CBS Sports Network will bring you the answer with their live coverage of this clash at the Empower Field at Mile High. 

The final matchday of the 2020/21 Division 1 Feminine campaign, featuring PSG and Lyon games, headlines a week packed with women's football action. Take a look at how you can watch French top-flight and NWSL games this weekend.

ATA Football to stream PSG and Lyon final day games

ATA Football will live stream Paris Saint-Germain's last game of their Division 1 Feminine campaign on Friday, June 4, at 2:45 p.m. ET. A win against 8th-placed Dijon would see PSG win the league for the first time. Women's football fans in the USA, UK, Ireland, Germany and Italy can watch the game for free on ATA Football.

Olympique Lyonnais' final game will see them take on 9th-placed Fleury 91. Les Fenottes will hope for them to win and for PSG to draw or lose to make it 15 Division 1 Feminine titles in a row. The game will stream live on the subscription-based platform ESPN+ in the USA. The replay will be available on ATA Football right after the match. Fans in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Italy can watch the game live on ATA Football. 

How to watch NWSL regular-season games on June 5 & 6

The NWSL will continue this weekend with five games scheduled for June 5 and 6. 

Saturday, June 5

• Chicago Red Stars vs. NC Courage at 2 p.m. ET on Paramount+ (USA) & Twitch (International)

• Gotham FC vs. OL Reign at 7 p.m. ET on Paramount+ (USA) & Twitch (International)

• Portland Thorns vs. Racing Louisville at 10:30 p.m. ET on Twitch

Sunday, June 6

• Kansas City vs. Houston Dash at 2 p.m. ET on Paramount+ (USA) & Twitch (International)

• Washington Spirit vs. Orlando Pride at 2 p.m. ET on Paramount+ (USA) & Twitch (International)

2021/22 UEFA Women's Champions League: Qualified teams from top-5 leagues

Check out the teams from the top five European leagues that clinched a spot in the upcoming 2021/22 UEFA Women's Champions League.

Division 1 Feminine

• Paris Saint-Germain

• Olympique Lyonnais

• Bordeaux

FA Women's Super League

• Chelsea

• Manchester City

• Arsenal

Frauen Bundesliga

• Bayern

• Wolfsburg

• Hoffenheim or Potsdam

Primera Iberdrola 

• Barcelona

• Real Madrid 

• Levante

Serie A 

• Juventus

• Milan

Tigres UANL win Liga MX Femenil Clausura 

Tigres UANL were crowned Liga MX Femenil champions after taking down Chivas Guadalajara 7-4 over two legs. Moreover, Tigres became the first team to win both Liga MX Femenil yearly trophies – Apertura and Clausura – in the same season. Las Universitarias are the winningest team in tournament history with four titles, three more than Monterrey, Guadalajara and America – each has one.

Biggest stories of the week

China looking to have nearly 20 'soccer-dedicated' cities by 2025

According to a recent report, China is seeking to become among the premier footballing powerhouses in Asia by the next decade.

Among the goals they're aiming to achieve include having about 16 to 18 cities that will have two fully professional teams and corresponding stadiums to support those teams by 2025.

More important, these "football cities" should also have "one football pitch for every 10,000 people" as well as at least "one national youth training center plus a group of local training centers". In addition, 50 percent of students in these specialized cities should be engaged in playing football at some level.

Each city should be expected to invest around $4.7 million per year if it decides to join this initiative, while the government and the Chinese Football Association (CFA) will allot approximately $780,000 to $1.57 million to each city every year to bolster development.

Ultimately, their hope is that if everything falls into place, by the 2030s, China will be well on their way to being a serious contender for trophies in Asia - and then beyond the region.

Zidane breaks silence over Real Madrid exit, hits out at president Florentino Perez

It took him some time, but Zinedine Zidane finally broke his silence after his Real Madrid departure, writing an open letter to the Blancos fans this week to explain his decision to walk away from the club once again.

The 48-year-old, who made history by leading Los Merengues to three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles, had sat through many press conferences where his future at the club was questioned. This was even before Atletico Madrid had gotten their hands on the Spanish top-flight campaign, condemning Real Madrid to their first trophyless season in 11 years.

Constantly leaking rumors of a managerial change doesn't bide well for the head coach, it appears. While Zidane was full of praise for president Florentino Perez over the role he played in his arrival at Santiago Bernabeu, both as a player and head coach, the Frenchman openly admitted to having grievances with the manner in which he was treated during the recent season.

"I have now decided to leave and I want to properly explain the reasons. I'm going, but I'm not jumping ship, nor am I tired of coaching. In May 2018, I left because, after two and a half years, with so many victories and so many trophies, I felt the team needed a new approach to stay at the very highest level. Right now, things are different. I'm leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me that I need, nor the support to build something in the medium or long term," the Frenchman wrote.

"I understand football and I know the demands of a club like Real Madrid. I know that, when you don't win, you have to leave. But with this a very important thing has been forgotten, everything I built day-to-day has been forgotten, what I brought to my relationships with the players, with the 150 people who work with and around the team."

Zidane writes candid open letter about his Real Madrid exit

Romelu Lukaku rules out Inter exit amid Chelsea return

Romelu Lukaku has revealed his decision to stay at Inter Milan next season despite transfer interest from the Premier League. The 28-year-old enjoyed a remarkable season in Italy, helping Antonio Conte's side to the Scudetto to end Juventus' nine-year domestic winning streak. His performances caught the eyes of several top European clubs and rumors of a transfer away from the Nerrazzuri have since emerged. 

Multiple reports from the UK indicated that Chelsea were keen on solving their attacking problems by reuniting with their former striker. However, the attacker has now ruled out his return to the Premier League, insisting that he is happy in Milan. The Belgian, who is currently preparing with the national team ahead of Euro 2020, has so far scored 64 goals in two seasons for Inter.

Argentina stripped of Copa America hosting rights, Brazil set to stage this summer's tournament

The 2021 Copa America, the 47th edition of this prestigious competition, came under turmoil after CONMEBOL announced Argentina had been stripped of the hosting rights due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in the country.

This move was revealed late on Sunday, with South America's football governing body pointing to the surge in coronavirus cases as the reason behind this decision. Earlier this month, Colombia were ruled incapable of co-hosting the tournament as initially planned due to deadly political unrest in the country, meaning the organizers had to scramble to find a new home for the event.

"CONMEBOL informs that in view of the current circumstances it has decided to suspend the organization of the Copa America in Argentina," the federation announced via their official Twitter account.

It didn't take too long for the new hosts to be announced as it was revealed shortly afterwards that Brazil would stage this summer's Copa America. However, this does not mean CONMEBOL are out of the woods as certain players from the Selecao camp are said to be angry with the decision to move the event to their home country.

2021 Copa America moved from Argentina to Brazil

Other key headlines from the world of football

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes latest ambassador for wellness brand

Ronaldo now has added another ambassador position to his already huge portfolio. In 2017, he turned to the Theragun percussive therapy device - a massage product produced by Therabody, a wellness brand company.

As part of his deal, Ronaldo become a brand ambassador for Therabody. It isn't indicated whether he'll be a full investor, but he'll help to promote the Theragun product.

The multiple Ballon d'Or winner isn't the only footballer on the platform. He's joining Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold as well as Inter ace Lukaku, and the trio are also brand ambassadors alongside NBA stars Kevin Durant and James Harden, who play for the Brooklyn Nets.

Ronaldo will now be fully focused on preparing for the upcoming EURO 2020 tournament, where Portugal will be hoping to successfully defend their prize.

Brazilian national team players ready to boycott Copa America due to COVID-19 fears

As Brazilian journalists got ready to listen to Tite's press conference ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, a rumor emerged from A Canarinha's camp regarding a possible "mutiny" from the players. The reason for this mutiny is none other than their disagreement for having to step up and host the tournament with the COVID-19 pandemic being out of control in their home country.

Players who perform in Europe, led by Casemiro as their captain, could go even further with their protests and boycott the tournament, since hosting it does not make sense to them when two other countries (Argentina and Colombia) declined their right to welcome the competition.

In fact, coach Tite had to face Brazilian journalists alone since Casemiro refused to speak with the press as a sign of protest for the decision made by CONMEBOL and the Brazilian Football Confederation. This was eventually confirmed by the Selecao boss during the presser.

"The players have a different opinion to that of our president in regards to playing the tournament. That is why our captain, Casemiro, decided not to join us in the press conference," Tite stated.

Real Madrid named most valuable European football club as per KPMG

According to KPMG, Real Madrid are the most valuable European football club. The multi-national accounting firm gave the Spanish powerhouse a financial valuation of approximately $3.5 billion (€2.9 billion). That puts them ahead of arch-rivals Barcelona, who were valued at $3.4 billion (€2.8 billion).

Manchester United came in third, with a valuation of $3.2 billion (€2.6 billion). The top five were rounded out by Bayern Munich and Liverpool, with valuations of $3.17 billion (€2.6 billion) and $2.7 billion (€2.2 billion) respectively. PSG are Ligue 1's only representative, sitting in eighth spot with a valuation of $2.1 billion (€1.7 billion) while Juventus will be very proud to be included in this elite group, rounding out the top ten as Italy's only side with an estimated value of $1.7 billion (€1.4 billion).

Despite these numbers, the same report found that Europe's most elite teams saw a collective devaluation of at least $7.5 billion (€6.1 billion) due to COVID-19 as compared to the prior year.