England vs Spain at Wembley: the rematch that restarts both teams
Spain arrive as world champions, England as the side they beat in the EURO 2024 final — and neither has played a match since July. The first League A matchday hands both of them the hardest opening fixture in the competition.
Quick answers
- England vs Spain, Wembley Stadium, Saturday 26 September 2026, 19:45 BST. The game is sold out.
- It is League A Group 3, matchday one. Croatia and Czechia are the other two teams.
- It is the first meeting since the EURO 2024 final, when Spain won 2–1 in Berlin.
- Neither team has played since July — this is Spain's first match since winning the World Cup and England's first since the third-place play-off.
- Spain are world champions (1–0 over Argentina after extra time); England finished third, their best World Cup since 1966.
- The last five matches for each were all at the World Cup: England 4 wins 1 loss, 14 scored and 10 conceded; Spain 5 wins, 9 scored and 1 conceded.
- Both squads were named on 18 September — Thomas Tuchel picked 27, Luis de la Fuente 26.
- The two meet again in Spain on 15 November, the final matchday.
The short answer. This is the hardest opening fixture either team could have been given, and it is the first time they have met since the EURO 2024 final. Spain have won their last five matches — all at the World Cup — scoring nine and conceding one. England won four of their last five at the same tournament, scoring 14 and conceding 10, and conceded in every single game. England need a top-two finish in Group 3 to reach the March 2027 quarter-finals, and so do Spain; the two worst fourth-placed teams across League A drop out of the league.
Why the fixture matters more than a normal matchday one
Usually a Nations League opener is a warm-up. This one is not. Spain arrive as European and world champions, and England arrive as the team Spain beat to win the first of those titles — 2–1 in Berlin in July 2024, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring the winner.
Both squads have had eight weeks away from competitive football. Both coaches have used that time in the same way: to bring players back. England recalled Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer, neither of whom was at the World Cup, and included Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha. Spain called up 26 players, with Marcos Llorente retired from international football and Joan García injured.
The form contrast that defines the game
Look at the last five matches each side played and the two teams could not be more different. Every one of those ten matches was at the World Cup.
| England | Spain | |
|---|---|---|
| Last five results | 4 wins, 1 defeat | 5 wins |
| Goals scored | 14 | 9 |
| Goals conceded | 10 | 1 |
| Clean sheets | 0 | 4 |
| Average goals per game | 4.8 | 2.0 |
| Their route | R32 DR Congo, R16 Mexico, QF Norway, SF Argentina, 3rd place France | R32 Austria, R16 Portugal, QF Belgium, SF France, final Argentina |
Swipe the table sideways →
England's tournament was open and high-scoring: 6–4 against France in the bronze match, with a Bukayo Saka hat-trick, and a 2–1 defeat by Argentina in the semi-final after leading. Spain's was the opposite — five knockout wins and one goal conceded, including a 1–0 final decided by Ferran Torres in extra time.
That is the tactical question at Wembley. England will not control possession the way they did against most of their World Cup opponents, and Spain have spent two months proving they do not need to score twice to win.
Head-to-head: the last three competitive meetings
| Date | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 15 July 2024 | EURO 2024 final, Berlin | Spain 2–1 England |
| 15 October 2018 | Nations League, Seville | England 3–2 Spain |
| 8 September 2018 | Nations League, Wembley | Spain 2–1 England |
Swipe the table sideways →
The 2018/19 Nations League is the useful reference: the two teams exchanged away wins, Spain at Wembley in September and England in Seville a month later. England's win in Seville remains their last against Spain.
Both teams arrive cold
Eight weeks without a competitive match cuts both ways. Rest helps the players Spain carried through seven World Cup fixtures; it also means nobody knows what either team looks like at the moment.
That is why the opening fifteen minutes at Wembley matter more than usual. Spain's last five matches show a side that controls games early and closes them out; England's show a side that concedes and then out-scores the problem. One of those patterns has to give.
What is at stake in Group 3
England, Spain, Croatia and Czechia play each other home and away — six matches across the September–October window and the November window. The top two in the group reach the quarter-finals, played over two legs between 25 and 30 March 2027.
The bottom of the group is the uncomfortable part. Third place is not automatically safe: the two best third-placed teams across League A stay up, while the two worst go into play-offs against League B runners-up. The worst fourth-placed teams are relegated outright.
England's route after this game is Czechia away in Prague on 29 September and Croatia in Rijeka on 3 October. Spain host Croatia in Seville on 29 September before travelling to Czechia. They meet each other again in Spain on the final matchday, 15 November.
The shirts for Wembley
Spain's current home shirt carries the world champions' badge; England's is the one they wore through the bronze-medal run. Both are in stock with printed names and numbers made to order — worth ordering before the window closes if you want one for a specific matchday.
Spain 2026 Home Winners Shirt
England Home Shirt · Watkins 19
Related guides
- The ten-day window — what the new Nations League format changes
- The September window shirt guide — fixture by fixture
- Jersey sizing guide — chest, S–5XL and the US to EU conversion
- How jersey printing works — heat-pressed, stitched or sublimated
- Shipping and customs guide — what US, EU and UK buyers pay
- Jersey numbers explained — how each sport numbers its players
When and where is England vs Spain?
Is this a rematch of the EURO 2024 final?
Who are the coaches?
How have the two teams been playing?
What do England and Spain need from the group?
Who else is in the group?
When do England and Spain meet again?
Are the squads announced?
Shop Spain and England shirts
Current home shirts with printed names and numbers made to order — in stock for the September window.
Browse national team jerseys