England vs Spain Preview: A Euro 2024 Rematch at Wembley, Five England Absentees, and the World Champions Who Have Not Lost in 90 Minutes Since March 2024

The 2026/27 Nations League could not have given England a harder opening night. Spain arrive at Wembley as the reigning world champions, unbeaten inside 90 minutes since March 2024, and carrying a head-to-head record that reads seven wins to two across the last eleven meetings. England come into it off the best World Cup they have had since 1966 — a semi-final run capped by a 6-4 win over France in the third-place match — but they do so without Declan Rice, and with four more established names reported as injury absentees. It is also the first time these two have met on English soil since Spain won 2-1 at Wembley in the 2018 Nations League.

Two Squads Shaped by a Very Different Summer

England’s summer ended in North America with a third-place finish that the country has not matched in sixty years. The run took them past the group and through tight knockout ties before Argentina beat them in the semi-final; the response was a remarkable 6-4 defeat of France in the third-place match. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka remain the spine. What Tuchel does not have this week is the midfield that got them there. Declan Rice is out, and Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento are all reported as injury absentees — five established names missing from a squad named for a four-game window.

Two midfielders were added on 21 September to cover: James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White, both of whom have senior caps and both of whom offer something different — Garner the screening and distribution, Gibbs-White the ball-carrying and the link into the front line. The other notable return is Trent Alexander-Arnold, back in an England squad for the first time since June 2025 and reported to be the only recognised right-back in the 24-man group. Tuchel has said he is here as a right-back and still has to win the shirt. Lewis Hall was recalled but picked up a knock in training, which is why Nico O’Reilly is strongly fancied at left-back.

Spain’s squad is, by contrast, largely the one that won the World Cup. Luis de la Fuente has made only light adjustments: Dean Huijsen is back in after missing the tournament as a technical choice, and Fermín López returns after the injury that ruled him out of it. There are three fresh faces — goalkeeper Josep Martínez and forward Roberto Fernández are both called up for the first time, and Iván Fresneda has been promoted from the Under-21s. Going the other way, Pedro Porro withdrew with a muscle problem, Joan García is injured, Gavi has been left out, and Marcos Llorente has retired from international football.

Head-to-Head: The Last Five

Spain have won three of the last five, England one, with one draw — and across the last eleven meetings the record is seven wins to two in Spain’s favour. England’s two victories in that span came in Seville in 2018 and in the most recent competitive win before that. The 2018 fixture at Wembley is the last time these sides met in London, and Spain won it 2-1.

Four Things to Watch

1. England must build a midfield without Rice, and fast

Rice is the single name Tuchel can least afford to lose against a side that keeps the ball the way Spain do. The pairing most outlets expect is Elliot Anderson alongside Alex Scott — a lot of running and a lot of passing, but very little international pedigree between them for a match of this size. Myles Lewis-Skelly has also been mentioned as a contender for the role. Whoever plays, they will be asked to do Rice’s job against Rodri and Pedri, which is the hardest assignment in the fixture.

2. Spain’s wide players against an unsettled England back line

Lamine Yamal on one side and Nico Williams on the other is the most direct route to a result for the visitors. Williams has had an injury-free start to the season and is expected to start. England’s full-back slots are the least settled part of the XI: O’Reilly is likely to come in at left-back only because Hall picked up a knock, and at right-back there is a straight call between Alexander-Arnold, back after more than a year out, and Jarell Quansah, who is reported to be pushing hard for the shirt.

3. A defence that almost never concedes

Spain have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight matches and have conceded at a rate of under a goal a game across their last ten competitive fixtures. England, for their part, have scored in each of their last five competitive matches at an average of 2.8 goals per game. Something has to give, and it is the clearest single indicator of which way the match goes: if Spain’s back four — likely Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte and Marc Cucurella — hold their shape, England need a moment rather than a pattern.

4. Four games in eleven days for both

This is matchday one of six and there is no easing in. England go to Croatia on 29 September and then host Czechia and travel to Spain’s group rivals in the October window. Spain host Czechia and travel to Croatia in the same stretch. A heavy opening defeat is recoverable in a six-game league phase, but it shapes the tone of everything that follows — and with Croatia and Czechia playing each other on the same night, both sides know a win here puts immediate daylight between them and the rest of the group.

Predicted Lineups

Neither side had confirmed a starting eleven at the time of writing. The two selections below follow the XIs published by goal.com and TipMan, which agree with each other; The Football Faithful and fifaworldcupnews both publish variants, and the English XI in particular should be treated as provisional given the number of absentees. The most commonly reported difference is at England right-back and in the Spain central striking role.

Key Battle: Bellingham Against Rodri

Bellingham is the player England need to impose himself on a match Spain would rather control, and Rodri is the player whose whole job is to stop that happening. Whoever Tuchel picks alongside Scott, the attacking shape still funnels through Bellingham arriving late in the box and Saka isolating a full-back on the right, and both of those routes run straight into Rodri’s zone. Spain’s midfielder is the reference point for everything they do without the ball; Fabián Ruiz, reportedly unbeaten across fifty international appearances when penalty shootouts are excluded, sits beside him. If Bellingham gets turned and can run at the Spain back four, England’s front line of Saka, Gordon and Kane becomes very hard to hold. If Rodri and Pedri keep the ball away from him and force England to chase, the home side will spend the evening defending the spaces either side of their own midfield — which is exactly where Yamal and Williams do their best work.

Kit Note: Two of the Best-Stocked Nations in the Shop

Both countries are deep in the shop. England’s rail runs from the 2026/27 home and away shirts through the captain’s print and the kids World Cup kit, and finishes with the women’s away shirt. Spain’s rail carries the current home shirt, the away shirt with the number 19 on the back, the kids home kit and the goalkeeper shirt. Everything below is live in the shop and priced the same across every size, so browse the rails.

England — home and away for 2026/27, the captain’s print, the kids kit and the women’s away shirt

Swipe to browse 5 England shirts

England Men's Home Jersey 2026 2027

$41.90

England Men's Away Jersey 2026 2027

$41.90

England Kane Men's Home Jersey 2026 2027

$41.90

England World Cup Home Kit Kids 2026 2027

$38.80

England Women's Away Jersey 2026 2027

$41.90

Spain — the current home shirt, the away shirt with the number 19 on the back, the kids kit and the goalkeeper shirt

Swipe to browse 4 Spain shirts

Men's Spain Home Jersey 2026 2027

$41.90

Spain Away Jersey 2026 2027 Lamine Yamal

$37.90

Spain 2026/2027 Home Kit for Kids - Lamine Yamal

$35.80

Spain Home Goalkeeper Jersey Men 2026 2027 Blue

$41.90

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