England vs Spain: Harry Kane vs Lamine Yamal showdown at the UEFA Nations League

England will host Spain for the opening match of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League at Wembley, Sunday 26 September WIB. Wembley will host England once more following their bitter exit from the 2026 World Cup.

The Three Lions were on course to reach the 2026 World Cup final before Argentina staged a comeback in the semi-final, eventually settling for the bronze medal after defeating France 6-4.

Now, Thomas Tuchel leads England back into major competitive action. 2026 World Cup winners Spain are already waiting at Wembley.

This fixture is far more than just England's first Nations League game. Following widespread criticism after their defeat to Argentina, Tuchel has an opportunity to rebuild squad confidence while measuring how far his side has progressed since the World Cup.

England have returned to League A after being relegated to League B in the 2022-23 edition. They bounced back and secured promotion during 2024-25, recording five wins from six matches.

Under Tuchel, England hold a strong winning record. The head coach has registered 17 wins from 22 matches, with two draws and three defeats.

Spain are no strangers to England

England face a stern test this time against Spain, a side with an exceptional competitive reputation. Spain are currently on a 38-match unbeaten run across all competitions, recording 29 wins and nine draws during this streak.

These two sides are very familiar opponents. Their most recent meeting came in the Euro 2024 final, where La Roja secured a 2-1 victory in Berlin.

During their two 2018 Nations League encounters, Spain won 2-1 at Wembley before England responded with a 3-2 victory in Seville.

Tuchel goes into this fixture with an imperfect squad situation. A number of players have withdrawn through injury, including Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice. James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White have subsequently been called up as replacements.

Gibbs-White's call-up is a notable one, with the Nottingham Forest midfielder earning a place in the squad after missing out on selection for the World Cup.

The midfielder has posted strong output for his club, and now has the chance to showcase his ability at international level.

Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal the headline attractions

Amidst these squad changes, Jude Bellingham remains one of the key talking points. The Real Madrid midfielder scored seven goals in 10 appearances for England throughout 2026, an extremely impressive return for a midfield player.

Bellingham is once again set to line up alongside Harry Kane, with the England captain heading into another major fixture in the ongoing individual award race.

On the Spain side, Barcelona star Lamine Yamal also sits as one of the leading contenders for the Ballon d'Or.

Spain travel with a lethal attacking unit combined with proven major tournament experience. Mikel Oyarzabal is one player to watch after consistent prolific form for La Roja.

In his last 25 international appearances, the Real Sociedad forward has been directly involved in 26 goals, registering 19 goals and 7 assists.

Oyarzabal has very specific history against England: he scored the winning goal for Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

Spain also boast extensive Nations League pedigree. They have reached three of the last four finals of the competition, lifting the trophy in 2022-23 after beating Croatia on penalties.

In the 2024-25 edition, they once again reached the final before losing to Portugal on penalties following a 2-2 draw in normal time.

For England, this match represents the first proper chance to test their development since the World Cup concluded.

Tuchel will not only be chasing a positive result, but also looking to gain a clear picture of how his squad can perform against a side with the quality and experience of Spain.

This fixture also kicks off England's League A Group 3 campaign. Following the Spain match, England will travel to face Czech Republic on 29 September, before fixtures against Croatia and a home return match against Czech Republic in early October.

England vs Spain Prediction

On paper, this fixture will be fiercely contested, with both sides boasting very closely matched levels of quality that make the outcome extremely hard to predict.

Opta supercomputer ran 10,000 pre-match simulations to produce its forecast. England came out as winners in 33.6% of the simulations, while Spain claimed victory in 40.2% of runs. The remaining 26.2% of simulations ended in a draw.