England begin the 2026/27 Nations League against the world champions in front of a sold-out Wembley on Saturday. Here are the confirmed details, the late squad changes and the questions Thomas Tuchel has to answer.
What is coming
England's first competitive match since the World Cup is also their first game back in the top division of the Nations League. Spain, the team that beat them to the Euro 2024 title and then won the World Cup in July, are the visitors to Wembley.
The fixture is Matchday 1 in League A Group A3, which also contains Croatia and Czechia. Both sides are opening a campaign rather than continuing one: for England it is the first competitive step of the cycle that ends at Euro 2028, and for Spain it is the first match since the World Cup final.
Why it matters
- England are back among the top 16. Tuchel's side won promotion out of League B to return to League A, and the draw handed them the deepest group in the competition.
- The route to the title is short. In the expanded 16-team League A, the top two in each group advance to two-legged quarter-finals in March 2027, and the four quarter-final winners reach the Nations League Finals in June 2027. The bottom team in the group is relegated, and third place goes to a promotion/relegation play-off.
- It is a measurement, not just a fixture. England finished third at the World Cup after a 6–4 win over France in the third-place match, their best tournament since 1966. Spain arrive as world and European champions, having beaten England 2–1 in the Euro 2024 final.
- Group A3 has no soft game. Croatia and Czechia both came through the World Cup group stage, so a slow start would leave England chasing the group from Matchday 2.
Confirmed team news
England: five withdrawals, two replacements
The Football Association confirmed on Monday 21 September that five players have withdrawn from the squad Tuchel named on Friday:
- Cole Palmer — minor muscle issue.
- Declan Rice — workload management, after managing a hamstring and lower-back nerve problem last season.
- Kobbie Mainoo — ruled out after coming off in Manchester United's game at Fulham.
- Marcus Rashford — hip problem, also sustained at Fulham.
- Tino Livramento — calf setback in Newcastle training.
Two players have been called up: James Garner (Everton), who returns to the squad as a central midfield option, and Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), who adds another No 10 alongside Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze. Both were due to report to St George's Park with the rest of the group. The squad now stands at 24.
That leaves England without their first-choice holding midfielder and their two most experienced wide forwards, and it removes the cover Tuchel had selected at full-back.
Spain: the World Cup core, largely untouched
Luis de la Fuente named his 26-man squad on Friday 18 September, making four changes to the group that won the World Cup in North America.
- Back in: Fermín López (Barcelona) and Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), both of whom missed the World Cup.
- First call-ups: goalkeeper Josep Martínez (Inter), in for the injured Joan García, and striker Roberto Fernández (Espanyol), rewarded for six goals in his first six LaLiga games of the season.
- Out: Joan García (injury), Gavi and Borja Iglesias, while Marcos Llorente has retired from international football.
- Retained: Rodri, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal, Pau Cubarsí and goalkeeper Unai Simón.
Key things to watch
1. England's midfield without Rice
Rice has been England's primary ball-winner for years, and his absence changes the shape of the game more than any other withdrawal. Rodri and Pedri do not need an invitation to control a match, and if England cannot press or screen in front of their back four, Spain will settle into the rhythm that carried them through the World Cup without a defeat.
2. Spain's wide players against England's full-backs
Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are the most direct route into England's penalty area, and they will look to isolate whichever full-back Tuchel picks. With Livramento out, Trent Alexander-Arnold's defensive positioning becomes one of the most examined details of the night; Nico O'Reilly, Ezri Konsa and Lewis Hall are the other options in the wide defensive roles.
3. Harry Kane and the transition game
England's clearest path to goal is the one they used all summer: get the ball forward quickly to Kane, then attack the space behind with Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers. Spain will happily concede possession in England's half if it means keeping the ball out of their own.
4. How much Spain rotate
This is Spain's first camp since the World Cup, and De la Fuente has kept the core together while adding two new faces. Whether he starts Roberto Fernández and Josep Martínez or holds them back is one of the few genuinely open selection questions in his squad.
5. Game management if England lead
England's World Cup ended with a retreat after taking the lead against Argentina in the semi-final. Against a side as patient as Spain, the way Tuchel's team handles a lead — and how long he waits before changing the midfield — will be as telling as the result.
What happens next
England: away to Czechia in Prague on Tuesday 29 September (19:45 BST), away to Croatia on Saturday 3 October (17:00 BST), then Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday 6 October (19:45 BST). The group finishes in November with Croatia at home on 12 November and the return game against Spain on 15 November.
Spain: Croatia at home in Seville on 29 September, Czechia on 3 October, then Croatia away in Split on 6 October to close the four-game window.
Related
Confirmed information as of 23 September 2026. Fixtures and kick-off times: UEFA. England squad and withdrawals: The Football Association, 21 September 2026. Spain squad: RFEF, 18 September 2026. Squad situations can change before kick-off; this page will be updated if further confirmed changes are announced.