England vs Spain Preview: Can Hated Tuchel Redeem Himself as Shell-Squad Faces World Champions?

England vs Spain Preview: Tuchel's First Step On the Road to Redemption?

England take to the pitch for the first time since the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday as they face off against tournament winners and world champions Spain at Wembley.

Thomas Tuchel will be eager to get his side's UEFA Nations League campaign off to a strong start, as well as attempt to earn back the trust and faith of many of the Three Lions support, with the majority of the blame on their World Cup semi-final exit to Argentina still lying with the German coach in the eys of many, following his controverisal conservative substitutes and tactics towards the end of the semi-final clash which saw England go from a goal up to losing 1-2 late on with a late header from Lautaro Martinez sending England crashing out.

And first tests following this summer's tournament could not be tougher as they face off against Spain, the world's ranked #1 team and winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a repeat of the 2024 EUROS final which they also were victorious in.

Luis de la Fuente's team have not lost in any senior fixture since a 0-1 friendly defeat to Columbia back in March 2024, a run that stretches back nearly 40 matches.

Spain are #FIFAWorldCup Champions. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/mWLw5iis2C

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 19, 2026

England and Spain have met five times since 2015, with Spain winning three times, England winning once and one ending as a draw. England's last victory over La Roja came in 2018, in a 2-3 away victory in Group 4 of the UEFA Nations League, with the last meeting being the EUROS final in 2024 in Berlin where Nico Williams scored the winning goal versus Gareth Southgate's England.

England and Spain find themselves in Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, alongside Czech Republic and Croatia.

What Could England and Spain's XI's look like?

The England camp has seen multiple drop-outs from the initial squad named by Tuchel in the lead-up to the coming international fixtures.

Cole Palmer and Declan Rice withdrew from the squad and were soon followed out the door by Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento. As a result, Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and Everton's James Garner were called up to the main squad following the five withdrawals.

Considering the strength and quality of the opponent that faces England and Tuchel's need to rebuild the trust of the support, it is expected the Three Lions will go with as a strong a lineup as possible for the clash at Wembley.

As the only natural right-back in the squad, Trent Alexander-Arnold could be in line for a start at Wembley, but Ezri Konsa and Jarell Quansah also act as potential options if Tuchel prefers more defensive solidity from the position.

With Rice and Mainoo withdrawing from the squad, and Reece James also absent, it is unclear who will partner Elliot Anderson in the heart of the England midfield. Either Alexander-Arnold or Garner is an option, as is Bournemouth's Alex Scott, Nico O'Reilly or Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has seen a recent breakthrough of minutes in central midfield for Arsenal over recent months.

There is, of course, Forest star Gibbs-White who has a ready-made partnership with Anderson in the engine room from their shared time Trentside, but Tuchel does not seem to admire the 26-year-old quite as much as the neutrals of the Premier League do - he missed the World Cup to the shock of many, and was not meant to be part of this squad at all if not for the mentioned drop-outs.

Harry Kane is expected to lead the line, obviously, with the England captain one of the favourites to win this year's Ballon d'Or, with Anthony Gordon also expected to start in attack. The winger has enjoyed a strong start to life in Spain with FC Barcelona since his summer move, claiming four assists in seven appearences for the Catalan giants, and will take on many of his teammates on Saturday evening.

As for Spain, De la Fuente's side are the favourites to win the UEFA Nations League following their World Cup success, looking to win the competition for the second time after tasting victory in the 2022/23 edition, beating Croatia in the final.

Goalkeeper Joan Garcia and Tottenham's Pedro Porro are absent through injury, whilst Marcos LIorente has decided to retire from international football.

🔴🔵🇪🇸 7 goals as Paris Saint-Germain player for Ferran Torres, 5 in the last 3 games. pic.twitter.com/DJRBOspKDy

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 20, 2026

World Cup final hero Ferran Torres has enjoyed a strong start with new side Paris Saint-Germain, scoring seven goals in six matches and is expected to start in attack, whilst Nico Williams could also feature on the left if Torres is preferred down the middle, whilst right-back Ivan Fresneda and Espanyol striker Roberto Fernandez could make their international debuts.

England Predicted XI: Pickford (GK), Alexander-Arnold, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly, Anderson, Scott, Saka, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane

Spain Predicted XI: Simon (GK), Garcia, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Rodri, Pedri, Yamal, Olmo, Williams, Torres

Match Details - Where Can I Watch England vs Spain in the UEFA Nations League?

England vs Spain is the first match of the 2025/26 UEFA Nations League in Group C, and takes place on Saturday 26th September. Kicking-off at 19:45pm BST at Wembley Stadium.

Viewers in the UK can tune into the clash on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player, with coverage starting at 6:45.