Preview: England vs Uruguay - prediction, team news, lineups

England's preparations for the 2026 World Cup will continue at Wembley on Friday evening, as the Three Lions welcome Uruguay for an international friendly.

Thomas Tuchel's side are building towards their tournament opener against Croatia on June 17, while Uruguay's campaign will begin against Saudi Arabia on June 15.

Match preview

There is undoubtedly pressure on England to perform at the 2026 World Cup, with anything less than a semi-final spot likely to be viewed as a major disappointment, and they are certainly fancied among the favourites to lift the famous trophy this summer.

England were note perfect in Group K, winning all eight of their matches, scoring 22 times and conceding zero, to top their World Cup qualification group with 24 points, and they have been victorious in each of their last six matches in all competitions.

The Three Lions were last in friendly action in October 2025, beating Wales 3-0, with that result coming before wins against Latvia, Serbia and Albania to round off their Group K campaign.

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England will face Uruguay, Japan, New Zealand and Costa Rica in their four friendlies ahead of the World Cup before opening their campaign against Croatia on June 17.

Tuchel's team will also tackle Ghana and Panama in the group stage of the 2026 tournament, and it would be one of the biggest shocks of all time if they failed to progress into the knockout round of the competition.

Uruguay will also be present at the 2026 World Cup, with the national side finishing fourth in their South American qualification section behind Argentina, Ecuador and Colombia, while they were actually ahead of fifth-placed Brazil in the final placings.

Marcelo Bielsa's side are not considered to be serious challengers for the trophy this summer, but they can be a very dangerous outfit and are sure to provide strong competition for England on Friday, which is what both sides require at this stage of their preparations.

Uruguay have won the World Cup on two previous occasions, while they were fourth in 2010 and also made the quarter-finals in 2018, before a group-stage exit in 2022.

La Celeste have won two, drawn one and lost one of their last four matches, which have all been friendlies, with their last game ending in a 5-1 defeat to the United States in November 2025.

Uruguay have faced England on 11 previous occasions and lead the head-to-head record five victories to three, including a 2-1 success when the two teams last locked horns in the finals of the 2014 World Cup.

England friendlies form:

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England form (all competitions):

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Uruguay friendlies form:

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Uruguay form (all competitions):

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Team News

Dean Henderson, Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O'Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka will join up with the squad ready for the Japan match, so they will not feature in Friday's game with Uruguay.

As a result, Harry Maguire and John Stones could potentially feature alongside each other in the middle of the defence, while Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton may start in midfield.

Further forward, fit-again Jude Bellingham is in line to start, while Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford and Jarrod Bowen may also be given the nod from the first whistle.

The recent withdrawals of Jarell Quansah and Eberechi Eze have seen Ben White and Harvey Barnes earn spots in the squad.

As for Uruguay, there are also plenty of recognisable names in their squad, even after the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani have moved on.

Barcelona's Ronald Araujo and Real Madrid's Federico Valverde are set to be notable starters for the visitors to Wembley, while there should also be a position in midfield for Manuel Ugarte, who has struggled for action at Manchester United this season.

Darwin Nunez has scored 13 times in 36 appearances for his national side, and the ex-Liverpool forward is set to feature in the final third of the field.

England possible starting lineup:

Pickford; Livramento, Stones, Maguire, Hall; Mainoo, Wharton; Palmer, Bellingham, Rashford; Bowen

Uruguay possible starting lineup:

Muslera; Valera, R Araujo, Gimenez, Vina; Valverde, Ugarte; Sanabria, De Arrascaeta, M Araujo; Nunez

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We say: England 2-1 Uruguay

England will be without a number of key players on Friday night, but Tuchel can still call upon so many talented individuals, and we are expecting the Three Lions to edge a close game here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.