There had been so much talk – first raised by Thomas Tuchel after the shocking World Cup exit to Argentina – about England's DNA . About whether they could keep the ball, pass the ball, control the ball, the way Spain do.
The world and European champions were England 's first opponents – after the World Cup – in this Nations League campaign and came away from Wembley with a deserved win. They are now 39 games unbeaten with substitute Mikel Oyarzabal , who scored the winning goal against England in the final of the last European Championship, doing so again.
That may have been no surprise, even if the inevitable "olés" after Spain's third goal will have hurt. But the nature of it? For the England manager this was another shocker. Not in the way his team went about the task. They were positive, fun, attacking. But in the way they conceded – goals and chances – and lost.
On this performance, DNA, for England, stands for Defensively Not Able, as they threw away what could have been a famous and restorative victory. Instead, with Croatia beating the Czech Republic in the other group game, England are under immediate pressure to win in Prague on Tuesday.
In fact, England have conceded 13 goals in their past six matches – in fairness including four in that third-place World Cup 6-4 win over France – and that is not good enough for a top-tier nation. Tuchel needs to sort it out defensively.
It could have been very different if Harry Kane had not missed from the penalty spot, slipping as he struck the ball, with England improbably 2-1 ahead. "It would have been the decisive punch," Tuchel stated. Maybe so, even if there was always the feeling that Spain could go through the gears.
Afterwards there were claims, led by the impressive Anthony Gordon , that this was a missed opportunity for England. A bit like the World Cup. They need to shake this theme.
The irony was this was one of their best creative displays for quite some time. They took the game to Spain and could have scored more. And conceded more.
In truth it could have been Spain 4 England 0 inside half an hour and before Tuchel's team laid a glove on their opponents.
The manager had also spoken about how England should "embrace the chaos" as their best route to success. That may appear a questionable tactic – does chaos ever win a tournament? – but England certainly did that. This was as chaotic and, admittedly, entertaining as it gets.
England attacked with pace and power with the pick of their players the two based in Spain: Gordon, who scored, and Jude Bellingham . And the defenders? This was a bad night for Marc Guéhi , his Manchester City team-mate Nico O'Reilly (cue speculation about whether they were distracted by the verdict on the Premier League charges against their club) and for Jarell Quansah at right-back who is so evidently a centre-half.
A penny, once more, for the thoughts of the unused Trent Alexander-Arnold . The fourth defender, Ezri Konsa , vented his frustration at what was happening around him.
It was not just the errors but the unforced nature of them. Poor in possession with misplaced passes and defensively wide open. There is a gap between Spain and England but not as big as the gaps that were exposed in England's back four. They endured a full house of calamities. They seemed strangely unaware – or incapable of dealing with – the danger posed by the outstanding Lamine Yamal .
Maybe because of the opposition – or the criticism – England felt the need to play out. But what an horrific start. What an inexplicable moment for Guéhi as he received the ball from O'Reilly and turned into trouble, gifting possession to Yamal who ran on and scored. Inside two minutes.
Spain walked out with the second star on their shirt – to mark their second World Cup triumph. That was the star Tuchel had promised for England.
Now, straight away, they were up against it. It could have turned very ugly. Ferran Torres , who had scored the winner in the World Cup Final, had one disallowed for offside, then was thwarted by James Trafford after – inexplicably again – being played onside by Quansah.
Then Torres was sent clear following Elliot Anderson 's poor pass, only to drag his shot wide. The third miss came from Dani Olmo , again set up by Yamal.
It could – it should – have been game over. Then England unexpectedly turned it around. They had kept attacking despite what was going on at the back and struck through a truly thrilling counter-attack, with Gordon and Bellingham combining before the Barcelona winger calmly beat goalkeeper Unai Simon.
It was an exceptional goal and was quickly followed by a fortunate one as O'Reilly's cross was met by Kane who stooped to steer in a header, only for it to strike Marc Cucurella , who made a mess of clearing, and it went past Simón .
The Spain left-back hit the post with a cross, misjudged by Trafford who was given this game and the next to stake his claim ahead of Jordan Pickford who has so long been the undisputed first-choice.
England dominated for a while and Bellingham won a penalty, after a VAR intervention, only for Kane to strike the crossbar.
How Spain made them pay and worryingly so. O'Reilly passed the ball straight to Olmo who swept it inside. Substitute Álex Baena checked and beat Trafford from the edge of the area. Even worse was how Spain cut through the heart of England defence with Baena finding Oyarzabal. Why was no defender closer to him? What was Guéhi doing? And O'Reilly? Oyarzabal exquisitely dinked the ball over Trafford.
Thomas Tuchel does not think Manchester City's guilty verdict over almost all of their Premier League charges distracted his England players in the Nations League defeat to Spain.
City players Marc Guéhi and Nico O'Reilly were at fault for two of Spain's goals and both Tuchel, the head coach, and England captain Harry Kane confirmed news of the verdict had been discussed among the squad.
Lamine Yamal dispossessed Marc Guehi before scoring the opening goal of the game inside two minutes - Getty Images/Carl Recine
Tuchel does not plan to address the issue with his players ahead of the remaining Nations League games against Czech Republic and Croatia.
Asked if the City verdict had been a cause of discussion ahead of the Spain game, Tuchel replied: "Not for me, but I can imagine maybe for the Man City players. I won't comment on it as it's an ongoing case.
"I didn't make it a topic. It was not a topic for me. I'm just thinking about Spain and the team and meetings. The players have more time than me. So I can imagine they talk about it. It's good they do. I don't think it was a distraction for them."
Kane added: "There was a discussion, but when we're with England, we kind of put club football to one side and it was no different this week."
Tuchel also refused to point the finger of blame at Guéhi, O'Reilly or Kane, who missed a penalty, for England's defeat despite admitting his team got off to the worst possible start by conceding a goal after two minutes.
"We will focus on the positives, but also highlight the stuff we can do better," Tuchel said. "Not even speaking about individual mistakes because this is normal. It just happens. It should not happen, and for sure not in this amount. But there is no sense in showing the individual mistakes or telling them 'please don't make mistakes'. That is normal, but we can do things better. We can defend the third goal better. But we will focus on the positives. There is a lot to take away from the game.
"We wanted to be the team desperately to beat them [Spain] and we think we had them. We still think we had them at half-time. That was the way the team showed up after half-time. So we will focus on that, but the reality is we lost and the reality is we need to prove it again."
10:05pm
"It was a terrible start, the worst possible start, which makes it so difficult against a team like this. The reaction was very good. After 10/12 minutes, we were the better team but we gave away too many mistakes. We were the better team. If we had converted the penalty, it could have been the decisive moment. We have to keep going and learn from the mistakes. We could have created more if we had been more clinical in the final 20 metres. We showed great bravery and courage with our high-ball wins. There will always be moments you suffer against teams like this. The effort and quality were there tonight but the result does not prove it today."
10:01pm
"I think there is a gap [between Spain and England]. They [Spain] are the world champions and European champions. Mikel Oyarzabal was never going to miss. He was always in control of the situation. Honestly, people talk about sexy football, that is sexy football. I would watch that all night."
10:00pm
09:58pm
09:55pm
Marc Guehi and Nico O'Reilly may want to look away now but Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon scored well. Our very own Mike McGrath has provided his player ratings .
09:50pm
Tonight: England 2 Spain 3(H)
Tuesday September 29: Czech Republic(A), kick-off 7.45pm
Saturday October 3: Croatia(A), kick-off 5pm
Tuesday October 6: Czech Republic(H), kick-off 7.45pm
09:48pm
09:46pmReaction
A highly entertaining game. England will probably argue the game changed on Kane's missed penalty, but Spain missed a lot of very clear chances and will feel they deserved the victory. A losing start to the Nations League for Tuchel and his team, but there were some positives. Gordon, Bellingham and Anderson were all excellent. Some of the defending, not so excellent.
09:45pm
Possession:England 47%-53% Spain
Shots:13-15
Shots on target:5-5
Corners:6-3
Touches in opposition box:37-15
09:41pm
England have one last chance with a corner out on the left. This will be it. Spain are able to deal with it and clear their lines.
Then comes the final whistle at Wembley and the world champions Spain claim a 3-2 victory in north London. It was an absorbing game, where momentum swung one way and then the other, but it is Spain who are the victors.
09:39pm
Baena brings down Rogers with a silly challenge to gift England a free-kick deep in the Spanish half. This could be England's last chance.
Anderson is over it but his delivery is poor, easily caught by Unai Simon.
09:38pm
England are running out of time to find an equaliser.
09:36pm
O'Reilly appears to be suffering with cramp but England have made all five substitutions.
There will be five added minutes.
09:34pm
A late change for England as Branthwaite replaces Guehi.
09:34pm
Rogers delivers a dangerous cross from the right that runs through the six-yard box and forces Pubill to put it behind for a corner.
England take it short before Anderson clips it in but Laporte heads away.
09:31pm
Garner should have done so much better with that. His run into the Spain box on the left side is picked out by Anderson's pass. Garner has Calvert-Lewin waiting at the back post but the former massively overhits the cross.
09:28pm
Double substitution from England as Calvert-Lewin and Gibbs-White replace Kane and Saka . Rare to say Kane taken off, especially when England are behind.
09:27pm
Saka goes down under a challenge from Cucurella inside the Spain penalty box but no penalty is forthcoming. VAR has cleared the incident. Moments later, Bellingham is then booked for stopping Spain going on the counter.
Spain make a change as Merino replaces Olmo.
09:24pm
The way Spain control possession and keep the ball is impressive. They toy with you pretty well and often look so composed.
09:19pmKey moments • Goals • Video
Baena, who has been superb since coming on, feeds a lovely pass into the path of Oyarzabal on the right side of the box. Oyarzabal takes one touch before lifting it over Trafford into the England net. That is a lovely assist from Baena and lovely finish from Oyarzabal.
09:16pmAnalysis
Given the quality of the opposition and the sustained threat he carried, that might have been Gordon's best-ever performance in an England shirt. Him and Bellingham have been excellent. But now he's been replaced by Morgan Rogers .
09:16pm
Guehi joins O'Reilly in the book for a cynical foul on Olmo. You can put that yellow card in the category of a professional foul.
England are making a double change as Garner and Rogers come on for Lewis-Skelly and Gordon. Garner was not in the initial squad but takes his chance now after the withdrawals.
Spain also make a substitution as Pedri replaces Ruiz.
09:14pm
At one end, Yamal has a shot blocked after England gave the ball away before Lewis-Skelly's shot down the other end is easily saved.
09:12pm
The first booking of the night sees O'Reilly shown a yellow card for a foul on Yamal.
09:12pm
England come close to going back in front. After good work from Bellingham, Saka has it on the right side of the box. Saka cuts inside onto his left and looks to pick out the far corner but his effort goes narrowly wide.
Nearly for Saka and England - David Klein/Reuters
09:06pmKey moments • Goals • Video
Another big mistake from England is punished. It is absolutely dreadful from O'Reilly, who gives the ball away so poorly deep inside the England half. Spain capitalise and it is the man who has only just come on, Baena, who curls into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. All to play for with half an hour to go at Wembley.
09:05pmVideo
Yamal and Baena exchange a lovely one-two on the right side of the box and you think the former will find the far corner but his effort goes wide.
09:03pm
Cucurella has a real habit of making himself unpopular wherever he plays. The Wembley crowd have been booing his every touch and were not happy with him staying down after the ball hit him in the head. Spain haven't got going at all in this second half.
09:03pm
Spain have made a double change as Oyarzabal and Baena replace Torres and Williams.
08:59pmKey moments • Video
Kane steps up but his effort smashes into the bar. Kane slipped just as he took it. In fact, a free-kick is given to Spain as it was a double hit.
08:58pm
The referee overturns the original decision and points to the spot. A foul from a Barcelona midfielder on a Real Madrid midfielder is given.
Kane will obviously take...
Carl Recine/Getty Images
08:57pm
Yet more England appeals for a penalty. Bellingham goes down, believing he was fouled by Rodri , but the referee gives nothing. There is contact but is it enough for a penalty? The referee had a good view and there is a decent shout for a penalty.
The referee is being sent to the screen so we know what that usually means...
Certainly no sitting on the lead from England at the start of the second half. Tuchel was adamant that Bellingham should have been awarded a penalty after going down in the area.
And Tuchel might get his way as VAR have sent referee Davide Massa to the screen.
08:55pm
England want a penalty. Saka goes down under a challenge from Laporte from behind but those appeals are waved away. VAR checks and clears the incident. Laporte got the ball.
08:55pm
Chance for England. Bellingham's cross from the left picks out Quansah in the centre of the box but the defender's header from eight yards out misses the target. What an opportunity that was for Quansah to score his first international goal.
08:52pm
Spain are unbeaten in nearly 40 competitive matches and, as it stands, that run is set to come to an end. Still a long way to come though tonight and Spain could have been 3-0 up before England even scored one goal.
08:50pm
We are back under way at Wembley. No changes for either side at the break.
During half-time, Kyle Walker received a framed shirt to celebrate his 96 England caps.
08:45pm
08:42pm
08:41pm
Possession:England 45%-55% Spain
Shots:6-8
Shots on target:2-2
Corners:3-3
Touches in opposition box:10-10
08:38pmAnalysis
Tuchel will be delighted with the half-time score and England's spirit after going behind so early. But how on earth have Spain only scored once? They've missed a couple of one-on-ones, hit the post and blazed over the bar. Highly entertaining and England will know they will have to defend better if they are going to hold on to their lead.
08:35pm
An absorbing and end-to-end first half is brought to an end. Somehow, despite the fact at one point they could have been 3-0 down, England lead 2-1 at the break.
08:34pm
Cucurella's cross from the left loops all the way to the back post, where it strikes the frame of the goal. I do not think Cucurella meant that.
There will be one added minute.
08:32pm
It is chances galore at both ends, with the latest falling to Ruiz, whose shot from the edge of the box is deflected wide for a corner. Bellingham heads away at the front post.
08:31pm
England gift the ball away so poorly and Yamal should punish them with his second goal of the game but he blazes high over the bar.
08:28pmGoals • Key moments • Video
What on earth has happened to Spain? O'Reilly's cross from the byline picks out Kane, who guides a header towards goal. Cucurella makes an absolute mess of things, effectively kneeing the ball past his keeper and into his own net. Kane will try and claim it but surely that has to go down as an own goal. 10 minutes ago, Spain should have been 3-0 up. Now, England are 2-1 ahead.
08:28pm
England are inches away from taking the lead. Saka drives forward towards the Spain box and lays it across to Kane, whose shot goes just wide. Should Kane have scored? Maybe.
08:25pmKey moments • Goals • Video
Somehow, England are on level terms. Spain should have been 3-0 up but England equalise with a clinical counter-attack. Anderson wins the ball back for England on the edge of their own box and plays it forward to Gordon, who flicks it brilliantly first time into the path of Bellingham, who drives into the Spain half. Gordon is on his bike and is ready to receive the forward pass from Bellingham. Gordon takes it to the Spain box before slotting home clinically past Simon.
08:24pmAnalysis
England have missed Declan Rice's delivery so far this evening. Saka has floated a couple of corners straight into the hands of Spain goalkeeper Simon and there have been some promising free-kicks wasted too.
No love lost between the Real Madrid team-mates Jude Bellingham and Marc Cucurella, there. Bellingham was unhappy with a challenge from the left-back and let's just say they exchanged words afterwards.
08:23pm
If Olmo had slotted that home, the assist from Yamal would have been quite incredible. A quite sensational flick from Yamal plays Olmo in behind on the right side of the box and the latter's shot goes narrowly wide of the far post.
08:22pm
Saka's shot is blocked and the ball spins behind for an England corner out on the right. Saka takes the corner he won but his inswinger is caught by Unai Simon.
08:19pm
England want a penalty. Lewis-Skelly goes down inside the Spain penalty area under a challenge from Cubarsi and his appeals are waved away. The referee was spot on with that call.
08:17pm
That is a second sitter missed of the half from Torres and Spain should be 3-0 up. Rodri times his through ball to perfection and Torres' first touch is glorious to take him past Anderson and away. Torres is one-on-one with Trafford and should score but his effort slides by the left post. How Spain are not 3-0 up is beyond me.
08:15pm
That is a waste from Bellingham. The Real Madrid man is found by Quansah on the edge of the box and Bellingham should get his shot off quickly but dithers for too long. Bellingham then goes down far too softly, wanting a free-kick, but those appeals are rightly waved away.
08:13pm
England have enjoyed more of the possession thus far but are still yet to register a shot through 25 minutes.
08:11pm
The Spain fans are certainly enjoying their night in north London. In general, they have a lot to be happy about currently holding the World Cup and Euros trophies as well as the fact that their team is 1-0 up this evening.
08:05pmVideo
That is a big save from Trafford and a big miss from Torres. Yamal plays a through ball to pick out the run of Torres, whom many in the ground think is offside. However, he was clearly being played onside by Quansah and Torres, who is fine scoring form this season for PSG, should score with a one-on-one opportunity but is denied by Trafford. England could and perhaps should be 2-0 down.
08:04pm
Anderson plays a lovely switch from right to left to pick out Gordon in space. Gordon takes just one touch before getting it out of his feet quickly, curling a cross to the back post. He is looking for Saka but Cucurella just about deals with it, even though he did not know much about it. The ball appeared to come off Cucurella last but a goal-kick is given.
08:01pm
After a very shaky start, England are beginning to grow into the game, slowly, but it is gradually happening.
07:57pmKey moments • Video
England are really not helping themselves at the moment, gifting the ball away in dangerous area. This time it is Lewis-Skelly who gives it away and Spain end up with a corner.
The delivery is drilled to the edge of the box, where Yamal's powerful volley is blocked by Gordon.
Spain keep it alive and the ball comes back into the England box. Torres fires into the bottom corner but the offside flag goes up and replays show he was clearly offside.
07:55pm
England have their first sight of the Spain goal. Kane plays Gordon in down the left and the latter gets past his man easily. He gets to the byline before crossing but Unai Simon in the Spain goal is on hand to cut it out.
07:51pmKey moments • Goals • Video
What on earth are you doing Guehi? Spain take the lead inside two minutes and it is a real gift. Guehi should pass to O'Reilly or Gordon to his left but instead comes back towards his own goal, seemingly unaware that Yamal is right behind him. What then follows is a clinical finish from Yamal, who drives into the England box before curling towards the far corner, with the ball going in off the inside of the post. That will help Yamal's pursuit of the Ballon d'Or. Dreadful from Guehi, fantastic from Yamal.
Now Tuchel is out with his arms crossed after that nightmare start from England. The Spain fans are in good voice.
England behind inside two minutes - David Klein/Reuters
07:49pm
We are under way at Wembley. There is VAR in use.
Tuchel was not shown on the big screens ahead of kick-off. He's just got up off his seat for the first time and entered his technical area to complain about something.
07:48pmKey moments
Before we get under way at Wembley, we stop to remember the great Kevin Keegan with a minute's applause, with a wreath being laid down on the side of the pitch. England are also wearing black armbands to remember Keegan. Wembley also pays tribute to a few other England players who have died over recent months.
Remembering Kevin Keegan - Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
07:44pm
England:Trafford, Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly, Anderson, Lewis-Skelly, Bellingham, Saka, Gordon, Kane.
Substitutes: Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Scott, Chalobah, Hall, Branthwaite, Rogers, Garner, Calvert-Lewin, Gibbs-White, Eze, Steele.
Spain:Unai, Pubill, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Rodri, Ruiz, Olmo, Yamal, Williams, Torres.
Substitutes: Raya, Martinez, Huijsen, Grimaldo, Merino, Lopez, Pino, Baena, Zubimendi, Pedri, Oyarzabal.
07:42pm
As feels customary at every England game, Oasis rings around the stadium to build up the atmosphere.
Here come the two sides and it is time for the national anthems. Marcha Real followed by God Save The King . There are plenty of Spanish supporters in attendance tonight and they are making their voices heard.
Here comes the Wonderwall compilation. Harry Kane said yesterday that he wants to win the Nations League next summer and then celebrate by going to one of the Oasis gigs.
07:38pm
Spain have been forced into a late alteration during the warm-ups and it comes at right-back, with Eric Garcia injured so Marc Pubill comes in.
07:37pmOpinion
I quite like Tuchel's idea of giving Trafford the first two Nations League games, against Spain tonight and Czech Republic in Prague, and then going back to Pickford for the final two, in Croatia and against the Czechs at home. How will we ever know if England have an alternative to Pickford if nobody ever gets a proper go?
07:36pm
Chelsea's Cole Palmer was one of a number of England withdrawals. Thomas Tuchel had his say on Palmer missing too many games in his press conference and ITV's Roy Keane has had his say:
"If you think he is going to get England to another level, forget about it. I watched him before the break against Brentford. I think he has far too many bad habits for me."
07:33pm
07:31pm
The England players all got good receptions from the England fans inside Wembley when their names were read out. We're yet to see head coach Thomas Tuchel on the pitch or the big screens. Will he also get a big cheer? He was booed by England fans ahead of the World Cup bronze medal match in Miami.
07:29pm
07:25pm
07:19pm
Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that James Trafford will start the first two games of this international break and then Jordan Pickford will start the other two. Tuchel insists that Pickford "has done nothing wrong".
07:18pm
Thomas Tuchel has decided to start Leeds' James Trafford in goal instead of Jordan Pickford. Is that the right decision? You can have your say in the comments section at the bottom of the blog.
James Trafford starts for England - Mike Egerton/PA
07:11pm
Thomas Tuchel is limited to a 23-man matchday squad for this game, so Rio Ngumoha is not on the bench. The Liverpool forward impressed during the pre-World Cup squad in Florida when he earned his first cap. It would be harsh if he did not make the bench over the course of the international break, with two matches against Czech Republic and a clash against Croatia coming up.
07:08pm
07:04pm
06:59pm
06:55pm
England:Trafford, Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly, Anderson, Lewis-Skelly, Bellingham, Saka, Gordon, Kane.
Substitutes: Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Scott, Chalobah, Hall, Branthwaite, Rogers, Garner, Calvert-Lewin, Gibbs-White, Eze, Steele.
Spain:Unai, Garcia, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Rodri, Ruiz, Olmo, Yamal, Williams, Torres.
Substitutes: Raya, Martinez, Huijsen, Grimaldo, Merino, Lopez, Pino, Pubill, Baena, Zubimendi, Pedri, Oyarzabal.
06:51pm
Harry Kane wants England to address how they lost their identity and went "against our beliefs" at the World Cup.
In a brutally honest assessment of the tournament, the England captain admitted Thomas Tuchel's team did not play to their full potential in several games – even before the painful semi-final exit against Argentina.
Kane, who played golf instead of watching the World Cup final, revealed the 2-1 Atlanta defeat hurt more than missing a penalty four years earlier in Qatar, when England were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals.
"This one hurt more than any other one. I would probably say even more than when I missed a penalty in Qatar because of the manner that it happened," Kane said. "It was not us as a team.
06:47pm
"We trust our players and the player know very well that if you miss a camp then someone plays well in your position that the competition is always on. You have to make sure to be available and to produce top-level performances in camp and if you do so, that counts for something. Right now, it is not on my list of worries. I am not wired like this. From the moment I arrived at SGP my full focus is 100 per cent with the players who are here.
"There is no threat, distrust or threat of consequences. It will come naturally. I truly believe that we have the opposite. You will talk to our captain, Harry Kane, who has the most minutes for club and country and is happy to be here while teammates of his are enjoying a 10-day break. He is the role model and that is the vibe we have here."
06:44pm
06:43pm
This is the first meeting between these two nations since the Euro 2024 final in Berlin. From that team, only Harry Kane, Marc Guehi, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham are starting tonight. Most of Spain's winners from that evening are playing here at Wembley. Dani Carvajal, Robin Le Normand and Alvaro Morata are those who are not playing from that team.
06:41pm
06:33pm
06:32pm
Tonight: Spain(H), kick-off 7.45pm
Tuesday September 29: Czech Republic(A), kick-off 7.45pm
Saturday October 3: Croatia(A), kick-off 5pm
Tuesday October 6: Czech Republic(H), kick-off 7.45pm
06:28pm
06:25pm
06:23pm
They do have plenty to cheer about:
Carl Recine/Getty Images
Carl Recine/Getty Images
06:21pm
Carl Recine/Getty Images
Carl Recine/Getty Images
06:19pm
James Trafford is poised to start for England ahead of Jordan Pickford against Spain tonight.
Pickford has been England's No1 for eight years but Thomas Tuchel is set to make a change to face the world champions in the Nations League opener at Wembley.
Trafford went to the World Cup in the summer and has started the Premier League in good form following his move to Leeds.
In the first match since the World Cup, changing his goalkeeper is a major selection decision from Tuchel.
Elsewhere, Jarell Quansah is set to play at right-back ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold while Myles Lewis-Skelly is also in line to return to the starting XI after being recalled into the squad after missing the World Cup.
06:15pmKey moments
England begin their Nations League campaign with a home game against the world champions Spain. This is England's first game since the World Cup, with their dreams of glory ended by Argentina in the semi-finals, but they did finish third after beating France in a high-scoring third/fourth play-off. The last meeting between these sides saw Spain beat England to win Euro 2024. They also faced off in the Nations League back in 2018, with Spain winning at Wembley and England taking victory over in Spain.
England's plans for these games has been disrupted by a number of withdrawals. Cole Palmer had earned a recall having been left out of the World Cup squad but the Chelsea forward has withdrawn due to a minor injury, despite playing the full game for Chelsea against Brentford in the final game before the international beak.
"He [Palmer] plays with discomfort and pain and cannot play on the highest level with discomfort and pain," Tuchel said. "Chelsea informed us. That is my understanding. We are not managing load. This is not an 'international break'. It is a competitive environment, where the players love to train and be together. That is what we created. We will never compromise on that. We will never let this feeling creep in that the players do not want to come [to England camps]. We focus on the guys who absolutely want to play for England.
England host the European and world champions - Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
"For sure it is a missed opportunity. It is another missed opportunity. He misses too many opportunities. I do not blame him for it, it is just a fact. He misses way too many camps with injuries. I only want to rely on what I personally witness and see within my team. For that you have to be in camp. If you are not in camp there is a next level to impress that you cannot achieve because you can only do it with me on the pitch and with us on the pitch. It is a missed opportunity."
Declan Rice has also withdrawn from the squad despite playing the full game in Arsenal's defeat to Brighton as have Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento. Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner have been called up as a result.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is back in the fold for the first time since June 2025. 18-year-old Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha made his England debut against New Zealand during the World Cup warm-ups and takes his place in this squad, although he does make the matchday squad for tonight's game. England will also take on Czechia, Croatia and then Cezchia again during this international break.
Having been crowned world champions back in July, Spain are now champions of both Europe and the world. Back in June 2025, Spain made the Nations League final but lost on penalties to Portugal. Ahead of this international window, The Royal Spanish Federation has extended Luis de la Fuente's contract until 2032. After tonight, Spain will host Croatia and Czechia before travelling to Croatia to cap off this international window.
This is an extended international break, with four games to take place during this window. Team news from Wembley to follow shortly.
