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

Wembley will host a standout UEFA Nations League contest on Saturday evening, as world and European champions Spain head to London to tackle England.

The two teams are competing in Group 3 of League A in the 2026-27 Nations League, and the top two in the section will secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Match preview

Two months on from their 2026 World Cup exploits, England will begin their Nations League campaign; the Three Lions finished third at the World Cup, losing 2-1 to Argentina in the semi-finals before recording an extraordinary 6-4 success over France in the third-placed playoff.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel took huge criticism for his management of the Argentina clash, especially in the latter stages, and there were calls from some for the German to leave, but he remains at the helm and is very much looking towards the future with the Three Lions.

England will play four times during this extended international break, tackling Czech Republic (A) on September 29 before facing Croatia (A) on October 3 and Czech Republic (H) on October 6.

The Three Lions competed in League B in 2024-25, securing promotion back to League A, and their best performance in the Nations League came in 2018-19, when they finished third.

England lead the overall head-to-head record between the two sides, having won 14 of their previous 28 matches in all competitions, suffering 11 defeats in the process.

Saturday's clash will be the first time that these two teams have locked horns since the final of Euro 2024, when Spain recorded a 2-1 victory to claim the prize.

First in the FIFA rankings, reigning European and world champions Spain are the outstanding team in international football; Luis de la Fuente guided the national side to success at the 2026 World Cup courtesy of a 1-0 success over Argentina in the final.

Spain won the Nations League in 2022-23, beating Croatia in the final, while they have been runners-up on two occasions - in 2020-21 and 2024-25, losing to Portugal on penalties last time out in the tournament.

De la Fuente has signed a new contract to remain as head coach until at least 2032, and Spain are incredibly unbeaten in normal time since a friendly with Colombia in March 2024.

Spain are rightly considered to be the favourites for the Nations League, and this international break will also see them tackle Croatia away and then home either side of a fixture with Czech Republic (H).

England form (all competitions):

Spain form (all competitions):

Team News

Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento have been forced to pull out of the England squad for the upcoming matches due to injuries.

Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner have been handed late call-ups and could be involved, but Lewis Hall missed training on Wednesday, with the Newcastle United defender a potential doubt.

Jarell Quansah may be given the nod over Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, while Alex Scott could benefit from Rice's absence to feature in the middle of midfield.

Tuchel could name a front four of Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane.

As for Spain, Joan Garcia and Pedro Porro are out of the latest squad through injury, while Marcos Llorente has retired from international football.

Gavi and Borja Iglesias have been left out, while there are two uncapped players in the squad in the shape of Ivan Fresneda and Roberto Fernandez.

Eric Garcia could be given the nod at right-back, while Pedri's form for Barcelona this season could potentially see him chosen ahead of Fabian Ruiz in midfield.

Nico Williams has been injury-free at the start of this season and could feature down the left, while Mikel Oyarzabal may be given the nod over Ferran Torres through the middle despite the fact that the latter has started the 2026-27 campaign with seven goals in six matches for Paris Saint-Germain.

England possible starting lineup:

Pickford; Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Scott; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane

Spain possible starting lineup:

Simon; E Garcia, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, N Williams; Oyarzabal

We say: England 1-2 Spain

This is a standout game in international football, and both will be feeling confident ahead of the encounter. It would not be a shock to see England pick up all three points, but we are expecting Spain to navigate their way to yet another win.

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