England v Spain: Where to watch, preview, lineups and odds

Ryan Murray

England welcome world champions Spain to Wembley on Saturday evening, as both teams commence their respective Nations League campaigns.

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It marks the first outing for Thomas Tuchel’s men since the World Cup, but the German tactician will expect his team to pick up where they left off in Atlanta. The Three Lions overcame France in a thrilling third-place play-off, netting six of the ten goals scored at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Having endured several sobering results during the third edition of the Nations League, England found themselves in the competition’s second tier ahead of the 2024/25 season. However, this turned out to be a short-term scenario. A return of 15 points from six matches propelled them towards the summit of Group B2, where they edged out Greece on goal difference to restore their League A status.

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Meanwhile, Spain are also oozing confidence. After defeating Saturday’s opponents in the final of the 2024 European Championships, La Roja clinched their second piece of major silverware in the space of 24 months at this summer’s World Cup.

Luis de la Fuente also led his side to last season’s Nations League Finals, thanks to an unbeaten run in the initial group phase. An epic semi-final triumph over France set up a showdown with Iberian neighbours Portugal, who previously won the inaugural edition of the competition. The two teams couldn’t be separated following 120 minutes of football, but Rúben Neves converted the decisive spot-kick in the resultant shootout to hand the Portuguese a second Nations League success.

Although they enter the tournament as Group A3’s third seed, most believe England will be involved in a two-way scrap for supremacy with red-hot favourites Spain. With tricky fixtures against Croatia and Czechia to come before the conclusion of this extended international break, both teams will be eager to secure maximum points at Wembley.

Therefore, Saturday evening’s contest – which will be televised exclusively live on ITV – could be crucial in the wider context of the group.

England v Spain: Key information

Date: Saturday, September 26th

Kick-off time: 19:45 BST

Venue: Wembley, London

Referee: Davide Massa (Assistant Referees: Filippo Meli and Alessio Berti, Fourth Official: Matteo Marcenaro)

VAR: Marco Di Bello (Assistant VAR: Rosario Abisso)

TV channels/Live stream: ITV, STV, ITVX, STV Player

Odds: England: 2/1, Draw: 12/5, Spain: 11/8

Odds provided by bet365

England team news

There were a handful of surprise omissions from England’s World Cup squad, but the headline absentees were undoubtedly Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Phil Foden. Although Foden once again failed to make the cut, Tuchel recalled his two other disgruntled stars for the upcoming round of Nations League fixtures.

However, Palmer has since declared himself unavailable. A minor muscular strain is the official reason for his withdrawal, but there’s some scepticism surrounding this claim given that he played every minute of Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to West London rivals Brentford last Friday evening. The attacking midfielder is one of five players to pull out, alongside Declan Rice, Tino Livramento, Marcus Rashford, and Kobbie Mainoo.

Having felt considerable pain in his back and hamstring problems throughout most of 2026, it makes sense that Rice will rest up until Premier League action resumes. Rashford and Mainoo have been regular starters for Manchester United this term, but both players picked up undisclosed issues during last weekend’s visit to Craven Cottage.

After cruelly sustaining a calf injury just three days before England’s World Cup opener against Croatia, Tino Livramento then damaged his knee ligaments in the lead-up to the new campaign. The Newcastle United defender had been slowly building towards full match fitness over the past few weeks, but endured another frustrating setback within hours of last week’s squad announcement.

Those gaps in the roster have opened the door for Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner, who were both unlucky not to be on the plane to North America.

Alex Scott and Rio Ngumoha could get an opportunity to earn their first international caps, after both youngsters were invited to Tuchel’s pre-World Cup training camp in the summer.

England predicted lineup v Spain (4-2-3-1)

Coach: Thomas Tuchel

Jordan Pickford (GK); Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guéhi, Lewis Hall; Elliot Anderson, James Garner; Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane

Spain team news

Luis de la Fuente has presided over a fairly settled squad over the past two years, so most of the players who helped propel Spain to World Cup glory will also be involved in some capacity on Saturday night.

There is plenty of Premier League interest, with four players making the short trip to Wembley from their respective English bases.

David Raya is set to play second fiddle to Unai Simón between the sticks, while his Arsenal teammates Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi are also likely to be named on the bench. The midfield duo have both featured as substitutes in all five of the Gunners’ opening league games, but Merino does tend to be used more frequently by his international boss. There is also a place for pacey winger Víctor Muñoz, who left LaLiga outfit Osasuna to join Liverpool ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

For the first time in history, this year there were no Real Madrid players in a Spanish World Cup squad. The 15-time Champions League winners are represented in La Roja red this time around, but only through ex-Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.

However, some familiar faces are missing. Marcos Llorente’s appearance in July’s semi-final meeting with France turned out to be the last for his country, as the Atléti midfielder confirmed his retirement from international football earlier this month. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s Joan Garcia and Gavi are currently sidelined due to minor ailments.

Spain predicted lineup v England (4-1-2-3)

Coach: Luis de la Fuente

Unai Simón (GK); Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella; Rodri; Dani Olmo, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Víctor Muñoz

Where to watch on TV or live stream?

Following the renewal of their long-term deal with the FA, ITV hold exclusive broadcasting rights for every England friendly, Nations League encounter, and major tournament qualifier. This current agreement concludes in June 2028, the same month England, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland host the next instalment of the European Championships.

This weekend’s clash between England and Spain will be screened on ITV1, while online viewers can follow the action at Wembley by accessing the network’s ITVX streaming platform. The match will be shown in Scotland on STV and is therefore also available via STV Player.

Head-to-head record

These two teams haven’t met since July 2024, when they locked horns in the final of the European Championships.

Nico Williams opened the scoring just after the interval at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, but Cole Palmer subsequently equalised within three minutes of being introduced from the bench. However, it was to be a Spanish substitute who would have the final say, as Mikel Oyarzabal netted the winner in the dying embers of the contest.

The Three Lions have only managed to beat Spain in one of their last five meetings, but this victory did come in the Nations League. Midway through the competition’s inaugural 2018/19 edition, a brace from Raheem Sterling helped England claim all three points at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, which enabled them to leapfrog the hosts in the Group A4 table.

Spain travelled to Wembley five weeks prior to that defeat in Seville, so Saturday night is the second time these opponents have faced one another on the opening matchday of a Nations League campaign. The visitors ran out 2-1 winners on that occasion, with former Leeds United frontman Rodrigo scoring the decisive goal following strikes from Marcus Rashford and Saúl.