Women's World Football

England will play their penultimate match before the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup on Saturday when they face Denmark in a friendly encounter.

The Lionesses are one of the teams expected to challenge for glory at the showpiece in France next month, with the side making steady progress under the guidance of manager Phil Neville. After this clash at the Bescot Stadium in Walsall, they will face New Zealand on June 1 in their final warm-up game.

Despite finishing as the runners-up at the European Championships in 2017, Denmark failed to qualify for the World Cup. Manager Lars Sondergaard will want to see his players put in a strong performance to improve what has been a disappointing year.

Here are the viewing details for the match and a look at what to expect from the Lionesses ahead of the World Cup.

Date: Saturday, May 25

Time: 1 p.m. (BST), 8 a.m. (ET)

TV Info: BBC One (UK)

Live Stream: BBC iPlayer (UK)

England to Step Up World Cup Preparations

At the 2015 World Cup, England were one of the tournament's surprise packages, as they managed to make it to the semi-finals of the competition. They were eliminated by Japan, although they recovered well to win the third-place playoff with Germany.

The manner of the loss to Japan was particularly tough to take for the Lionesses, as a freak own goal from Laura Bassett in stoppage time put them out:

Bassett will not be involved at the summer spectacle in France, although there will be a number of players with experience from 2015 that will be desperate to make amends.

The team's Twitter account posted the following clip looking ahead to a huge month:

Arguably, the squad for this World Cup is stronger than the one four years ago. It means games like the one coming up against Denmark and then a week later against New Zealand will be crucial to Neville in deciding his XI for the tournament opener against Scotland.

In their previous two friendlies, England produced a couple of mixed performances. They were well below their best in a 1-0 loss to Canada, but they rebounded in a 2-1 win over Spain.

Here are the two goals from that win:

What will encourage Neville ahead of the tournament is how the team thrived at the SheBelieves Cup earlier in the year. 

They finished top of a four-team pool to win the title, with wins over Japan and France coming either side of a draw with defending world champions the United States. It was an indication there are players within the group who find their best on the biggest stage.

Domestically, some players are coming off a fantastic season. Skipper Steph Houghton won two trophies with Manchester City, while Lyon's Lucy Bronze and Barcelona's Tony Duggan played in the Champions League final recently:

Bronze was England's outstanding player at the previous World Cup:

Denmark have had an inconsistent time as of late. Following their runners-up finish at the 2017 European Championship, they were anticipated to kick on, although the team weren't at their best in qualifying and eventually lost out on a World Cup spot in a two-legged playoff against the Netherlands.

Still, they have quality within their ranks in the form of midfielder Sanne Troelsgaard Nielsen and forward Pernille Harder. If England can contain the influence of that duo, they should have enough to win the game in other areas.

Ada Hegerberg bagged a hat-trick in a dominant 4-1 win for Lyon over Barcelona in the UEFA Women's Champions League final on Saturday to seal their fourth straight European title and their third treble in the last four years.

Dzsenifer Marozsan, playing in her birthplace of Budapest, opened the scoring less than five minutes into the contest before Hegerberg added three goals of her own to make it 4-0 with just 30 minutes played.

The Catalans found a late consolation goal through Asisat Oshoala.

The first real chance of the match fell to the underdogs, as England international Toni Duggan miscued a shot from a promising position and fired wide.

Lyon soon took control of proceedings, however, and grabbed the lead when local favourite Marozsan tapped home after great work from Shanice van de Sanden, drawing huge cheers from the Hungarian crowd:

It was the first goal Barcelona conceded in over 660 Champions League minutes, a record which had previously suggested Lyon may struggle to break the Catalan side down. However, Lyon mustered chance after chance, and sports writer Aaron West feared for Barcelona:

Van de Sanden proved a nightmare to defend, and she once again provided a chance on a plate for Women's Ballon d'Or holder Hegerberg to make it 2-0:

The Blaugrana looked shell-shocked, and Lyon grabbed a third before the 20-minute mark. Hegerberg again converted, with the cross into the box coming from the left side this time:

Barcelona's defence came into the contest with a fierce reputation, but they didn't live up to it in the final, as noted by Bleacher Report's Callum Mackenzie:

And things got even worse for the Catalans when Hegerberg completed her hat-trick after 30 minutes after a Lucy Bronze assist (U.S. viewers only):

Barcelona were able to stop the bleeding until the half-time whistle, but down four goals, their situation seemed hopeless as they headed for the dressing room.

The Spaniards briefly took control of possession early in the second half, but before long, Lyon started to push for goals again. Marozsan and Eugenie Le Sommer went close, but Barcelona avoided the mistakes that doomed them in the first half.

The pace of the contest dropped as the final whistle drew near, with substitute Oshoala giving the Blaugrana fans something to celebrate in the dying embers.

The highest achievement in European women's club soccer comes down to this Saturday as three-time defending champion Lyon takes on Barcelona in the UEFA Women's Champions League Final.

Below you can find information on Lyon vs. Barcelona date and kickoff times, how to watch and live stream the match in the United States, and a preview for their decisive matchup.

Lyon vs. Barcelona: Schedule, date, kickoff time

The final of the UEFA Women's Champions League between Lyon and Barcelona from Groupama Arena in Budapest, Hungary kicks off Saturday, May 18 at noon ET.

If there is no winner after 90 minutes in Budapest, the teams will play an additional 30 minutes in extra time. If still tied, the match will be decided with a penalty shootout.

Lyon vs. Barcelona: How to Watch and Stream in the U.S.

The final of the UEFA Women's Champions League between Lyon and Barcelona can be streamed live for free on B/R Live.

The Lyon vs. Barcelona live stream on B/R Live will also feature the post-match trophy and medal presentations.

Sign up for B/R Live here

Lyon vs. Barcelona: Match Preview

Both clubs have been in terrific form as of late. Although Barcelona couldn't manage to win Spain's Primera Division as they came in second by six points to Atletico Madrid, they still closed out the remainder of their schedule with wins in 12 of their last 13 matches as they prepare for their first UWCL final.

They're led by forward Alexia Putellas, who scored 17 goals between the domestic league and UWCL this season. Another standout performer is goalkeeper Sandra Panos, who was the best keeper in Spain this season in terms of fewest goals allowed per match (0.41 goals conceded per match average over 30 games). She's managed to keep a clean sheet in seven of Barca's eight UWCL matches, with her side outscoring their competition 18-3 in that span.

Just look at this absurd save Panos made in the semifinals against Bayern Munich:

Meanwhile, Lyon is having a season for the record books. The French side is yet to lose in any competition this season as they've won a remarkable 32 of 35 total matches. The only blemish on their UWCL resume is a draw in the second leg of the semifinals against Chelsea.

A dynamic duo up top leads the way for Lyon as Eugenie Le Sommer and Ada Hegerberg, two of the top ten all-time scorers in the UWCL, scored a combined 33 league goals in the Division 1 Feminine to propel Lyon to their thirteenth straight domestic league title. A win on Saturday would give the club their fourth straight UWCL title and sixth overall, the most of any team. They've outscored European foes 29-5 in just eight matches this season.

Club legend Wendie Renard, who has been with Lyon since 2006, is set to make history in Budapest win or lose.

Lyon will take on Barcelona at the Ferencvaros Stadium in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday in the 2019 UEFA Women's Champions League final.

The French side are bidding for their sixth Champions League title and their fourth in a row, and they're also looking to complete a treble, having won the Division 1 Feminine and Coupe de France Feminine.

Barcelona are making their first appearance in the final.

Date: Saturday, May 18

Time: 5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. ET

TV: BT Sport 3 (UK)

Live Stream: BT Sport App (UK), B/R Live (USA), UEFA.tv (World)

Per football writer Tariq Panja, the 22,000-seat Ferencvaros Stadium is set to be near capacity on Saturday:

It's set to be a thrilling contest, with some of the game's top attacking talents on show.

Despite taking a tough route to the final that included Wolfsburg and Chelsea, Lyon have bagged 29 goals in the Champions League this season.

Eugenie Le Sommer has six of them, while Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg has four. The pair were prolific in the league for Lyon this season, too, notching 13 and 20 goals for the campaign, respectively.

Lyon knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage last season by a 3-1 aggregate scoreline.

Toni Duggan, who has netted five times for Barca in Europe this season, is expecting a closer contest this time around:

Barcelona finished second to Atletico Madrid in the Primera Division, in which they conceded just 15 goals in 30 matches.

The Catalan side have not conceded in the Champions League since the round of 32, either, but compared to Lyon they have had a relatively straightforward passage prior to meeting Bayern Munich in the semi-final.

Lyon's defence was breached just six times in 22 league matches this season, but they've been more vulnerable in Europe.

The French side have shipped five goals across the four legs of the quarter- and semi-finals.

With the likes of Duggan, Lieke Martens and Alexia Putellas in their ranks, Barcelona have the firepower to cause Lyon problems and potentially an upset.

With only two more friendlies until the start of the 2019 Women's World Cup, the United States women's national team earned a 3-0 victory over South Africa on Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Sam Mewis helped the USWNT cruise to an easy win with the opening goal in the 37th minute, and she was credited with the second in the 78th minute.

Mewis' first came when she beat a diving Andile Dlamini from just outside the 18-yard box.

The 26-year-old was in the right place at the right time to cap off the United States' scoring. Kaylin Swart attempted to clear a cross from Megan Rapinoe and hit the ball off Mewis and into her own net.

Carli Lloyd tacked on a third in the second minute of second-half injury time.

The USWNT is now on a four-match winning streak following back-to-back draws to start the SheBelieves Cup in February and March.

The USWNT kicks off the World Cup on June 11 against Thailand, while head coach Jill Ellis already unveiled her 23-player squad on May 1. South Africa is likewise in its final World Cup preparations before its opening match against Spain on June 8.

Because of that, neither team was keen on rocking the boat too much Sunday. Both coaches largely have their lineups and tactics set for the World Cup, so keeping everybody healthy was the priority.

That would help explain why the United States had only three goals despite largely dominating the affair.

According to ESPN FC, the U.S. finished with 70 percent possession and 20 total shots—only seven of which were on target.

Mewis' goal was the USWNT's first shot on goal. On the team's second shot, Dlamini made save at the near post to deny Tobin Heath in the 45th minute.

The positives for the United States were few and far between.

The U.S. struggled to break down an ultra-defensive side in South Africa, which is something the team should likely expect to see again in the World Cup. Thailand and Chile can't afford to take an attacking approach against the United States in the group stage.

In that sense, Mewis' performance was encouraging.

The U.S. also looked better in the second half, which is when Megan Rapinoe was on the pitch. Rapinoe subbed in at halftime, and her creativity out wide had a clear impact. Even at 33, she remains one of the USWNT's best playmakers.

In general, Sunday's match was bound to be a little harder than it should've been for the United States. The team hadn't played in a little over a month, and Ellis won't have wanted her players overexerting themselves to jeopardize their availability for the World Cup.

The United States should look better as its tournament preparations begin ramping up.

What's Next?

The United States heads to St. Louis for a friendly against New Zealand on Thursday.

The United States women's national team will kick off their Send-Off Series ahead of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup when they host South Africa at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday.

The friendly with Banyana Banyana is the first of three warm-up games before the USA kick off their World Cup campaign against Thailand in France on June 11.

For South Africa, this will be the first of two friendlies, with another match against Norway scheduled for June 2.

Date: Sunday, May 12

Time: 4:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. PT

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox

Jill Ellis' side will be the defending champions in France, having regained their title from Japan at the 2015 World Cup.

They are well aware that they will be the team to beat:

As Christen Press told soccer reporter Robert Jonas, they will accept nothing less than their fourth World Cup:

After scoring 11 combined goals in their friendlies with Australia and Belgium in April, the USWNT will look to continue tuning up after their disappointment in the SheBelieves Cup.

The U.S. were unbeaten in the four-team tournament also comprising England, Japan and Brazil but finished as runners-up behind the Lionesses after being held to two draws.

Meanwhile, South Africa will be pursuing their first win of 2019, having lost four and drawn three of their seven matches this year.

They shared a look at their preparations for Sunday's clash:

Their only other meeting with the U.S.—in the run-up to the 2016 Olympics—ended 1-0 to the Americans, who had 18 shots.

Ellis will hope her side can be as clinical against South Africa as they were in their most recent outings this time around.

If they fail to convince on Sunday, she will have a clearer idea of any areas in need of work ahead of June's showpiece.

United States soccer star Alex Morgan was announced as one of three 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models on Wednesday:

The women's national team co-captain will be joining model and entertainer Tyra Banks and model Camille Kostek on the issue's three separate covers:

This marks Morgan's third appearance in the Swimsuit Issue, and this year she'll be joined by three of her teammates: co-captain Megan Rapinoe, Crystal Dunn and Abby Dahlkemper.

"I felt like it was important to really show the diversity of this team, as well as show the youth and the experienced players," Morgan said.    

England Lionesses have announced their squad of 23 players who will compete in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France this summer.

Phil Neville's squad was announced on Wednesday via social media, starting with the Duke of Cambridge revealing captain Steph Houghton:

The squad was revealed one-by-one on Twitter by celebrities including Emma Watson and James Corden, along with footballers past and present, such as former Three Lions skipper David Beckham and current star Raheem Sterling:

Here's the full squad:

Goalkeepers: Carly Telford, Karen Bardsley, Mary Earps

Defenders: Steph Houghton, Lucy Bronze, Demi Stokes, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood, Millie Bright, Leah Williamson, Abbie McManus

Midfielders: Jade Moore, Keira Walsh, Jill Scott, Karen Carney, Georgia Stanway, Lucy Staniforth

Forwards: Toni Duggan, Ellen White, Fran Kirby, Nikita Parris, Beth Mead, Jodie Taylor

Manchester City defender Houghton is one of three centurions in the squad with Karen Carney and Jill Scott. The trio have a combined total of 376 international appearances.

She will be taking part in her third World Cup with England, and she expressed her delight to be on the plane:

Manager Neville explained the decision to announce the squad in the way they did:

Women's football writer Kieran Theivam praised the announcement:

The World Cup will kick off on June 7 and run until the final a month later on July 7.

England finished third at the World Cup in Canada in 2015 and have continued to build in the years since.

The Lionesses reached the semi-finals at the 2017 UEFA European Women's Championship and warmed up for the World Cup in style earlier this year by winning the SheBelieves Cup.

England picked up wins over Brazil and Japan—who won the World Cup in 2011 and were runners-up in 2015—either side of a draw with reigning world champions the USA to win the tournament.

Neville's side will face Denmark and New Zealand in friendlies on May 25 and June 1, respectively, before opening their World Cup campaign against Scotland on June 9.

They'll play Argentina on June 14 before taking on Japan in their final group game on June 19. 

The United States' women's national soccer team released their squad list Thursday for the upcoming 2019 Women's World Cup, headlined by the likes of Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd and Mallory Pugh. 

The team released a short video to hype the announcement:

*USWNT enters group chat* #OneNationOneTeam @NWSL pic.twitter.com/B3fMOhFnzq

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) May 2, 2019

Here's a look at the full squad:

The @USWNT World Cup squad is here!  pic.twitter.com/trbjgihfM2

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 2, 2019

The Americans will start the 2019 World Cup as defending champions and face Thailand, Chile and Sweden in the group stages. They'll play three friendlies in May before their first World Cup match on June 11 against Thailand.

The Stars and Stripes haven't been at their best so far in 2019, falling well short of expectations in the SheBelieves Cup and winning only four of their seven matches this year.

The squad boasts plenty of talent, however. The defence is led by the likes of Becky Sauerbrunn and Ali Krieger, while Julie Ertz and Lindsey Horan are among the standouts in midfield.

The inclusion of Krieger is a surprise. Per Doug McIntyre of Yahoo Sports, the 34-year-old has played only once for the team in the last 25 months, featuring in the 6-0 rout of Belgium.

Sports writer RJ Allen questioned the decision, as well as the inclusion of Morgan Brian:

I do not understand Ellis not taking McCall Zerboni or Casey Short.

I do not understand her taking Ali Krieger or Morgan Brain.

I just don't know, I really don't.

— RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic) May 2, 2019

The Stars and Stripes' biggest strength lies in attack, where Morgan and Lloyd are supported by the likes of Pugh, Christen Press and Megan Rapinoe.

Alyssa Naeher will be the likely starter in goal in what will be her first major tournament in that role. The 31-year-old will be tasked with filling the big gloves left behind by Hope Solo.

The United States women's national team gained more momentum on its way to the World Cup with a 6-0 win over Belgium in Sunday's international friendly.

Three days after a 5-3 win over Australia, the offense was impressive once again with Carli Lloyd leading the way with two goals and an assist at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.

The Americans used their athleticism to dominate in this one with five headed goals in the game. Alex Morgan was the only one to use her legs, scoring in the second half to help seal an easy victory for the home team.

The squad is now 4-1-2 so far in 2019, although this was the first match of the year against an opponent not headed to the World Cup.

Carli Lloyd Must Be Part of Starting XI at World Cup

At 36 years old, Lloyd remains a part of the United States roster but has had a reduced role over the past couple of years. It appeared she would be relegated to a spot on the bench behind younger, more dynamic offensive players.

However, she showed Sunday what she can do when in the lineup.

The veteran scored her first goal of 2019 with a header in the 14th minute and then got her second just five minutes later:

Belgium isn't the strongest opponent, but Lloyd was very active throughout the game and showed the type of impact she can have in the middle of the field.

Several observers pictured a similar impact at the World Cup:

With 107 career goals during international play, she has certainly shown a knack for finding the back of the net. You can trust her to come through with a strong finish if it comes to her in a key part of a match.

Even if she doesn't score, her reputation will force the defense to give her extra attention, which will open things up for the rest of her teammates.

The veteran proved this with a beautiful assist to Morgan in the second half:

Lloyd might not be able to play 90 minutes every match in France, but she should be given as much of an opportunity as she can to make a difference.

USWNT Should Rely on Experienced Back Line

Defense has been a significant concern for the United States over the past year, and the three goals allowed against Australia last game raised more question marks.

The constant shifting in personnel has been problematic, not only with different players in the lineup but also as they move into different positions.

However, Sunday's match was a move back to normalcy for the Americans.

Ali Krieger got her first start in about two years, but it was the 99th cap of her international career. Julie Ertz was shifted back to defense, where she starred during the 2015 World Cup.

Then there was Becky Sauerbrunn, who is one of the most reliable players on the roster and was making her 155th career cap.

This veteran lineup was a change after the team relied upon the less experienced Emily Sonnett and Abby Dahlkemper last match. Crystal Dunn was also used at left back against Australia but was shifted further up the field against Belgium, where she looked more comfortable.

The USWNT seemed much more effective when its veterans were on the back line and preventing any easy looks at the net.

With the World Cup only months away, head coach Jill Ellis needs to turn to the players she can trust the most.

What's Next?

The United States will prepare for its last set of friendlies in May before the FIFA World Cup in June. The team will host South Africa, New Zealand and Mexico as part of its send-off series.