England face Spain for the first time since the Women’s World Cup final as the Lionesses look to lay down statement at Wembley ahead of this summer’s Euros.
Spain defeated England 1-0 in Sydney 18 months ago thanks to Olga Carmano’s goal, in a match that was overshadowed by Luis Rubiales kissing forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent during the trophy celebrations.
The Lionesses have stood in solidarity with Spain ahead of their first meeting since then, in what is also an important match for Sarina Wiegman’s side in their Nations League campaign.
England were held to a 1-1 draw by Portugal on Friday while Spain scored two stoppage-time goals to defeat Belgium 3-2 to take charge of Nations League Group A3.
Wiegman’s side are building up to the European Championships in Switzerland so a meeting of the European champions and world champions will reveal a lot about both teams ahead the summer.
Follow all the latest updates from Wembley in our live blog below:
England vs Spain LIVE: Latest Nations League updates
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England host Spain at Wembley in Nations League clash | Kick-off is 8pm
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Lionesses facing Spain for first time since Women's World Cup final in 2023
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England drew to Portugal in Nations League opener while Spain beat Belgium
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Match takes place following verdict in Luis Rubiales trial last week
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England XI: Hampton; Bronze, Williamson, Bright, Carter; Walsh, Clinton, Toone; Park, Russo, James
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Spain XI: Coll; Batlle, Parades, Mendez Carmona; Aleixandri, Bonmati, Caldentey; Paralluelo, L Garcia, Pina
One to watch: Alessia Russo
18:46 , Arthur Ferridge
With every passing day, it gets harder to discuss the Lionesses without mentioning Alessia Russo.
After a slow start to the season, she has rediscovered her best form under Renee Slegers, recovering to eight goals and two assists in 14 appearances. That is translating well into her international performances.
She has been involved in more goals than any other England player since the start of 2024 (7).
Spain are proving to be something of a bogey team, though. She is yet to score against Las Rojas in three appearances (127 minutes).
Last time out: Spain 3-2 Belgium
18:41 , Arthur Ferridge
Las Rojas kicked off their Nations League campaign with an all-action win over Belgium at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia.
They left it late to secure the three points, adding two injury-time goals to equalise and take the lead.
Mariam Toloba opened the scoring for Belgium after 18 minutes, with Inter Milan’s Tessa Wullaert doubling the advantage with 72 minutes on the clock.
Claudia Pina would pull one back for the hosts with less than a quarter of an hour remaining before Lucia Garcia of Barcelona equalised with a 92nd-minute tap-in.
The winner would come just four minutes later as calamitous Belgium defending failed to dispossess Salma Paralluelo, whose deflected shot was finished by Cristina Martin-Prieto, triggering emphatic celebrations on the Spanish bench.
Montse Tomé is expecting fireworks under the Wembley arch
18:35 , Arthur Ferridge
Tomé is clearly relishing the prospect of a first trip to Wembley Stadium as the national team manager. After downing France and Belgium in recent outings, tonight represents yet another opportunity to renew Spain’s credentials as the world’s best.
She said: “‘It will be a top level match, between the World champions and the European champions, it has to be a beautiful spectacle of women's football.
“We plan to play on the front foot, get into the box and score goals and that's what we'll be looking for tomorrow. England have a strong attacking game, a midfield that plays well, their right wing has a lot of attacking potential.”
There is always room for improvement, though. Despite scoring 16 goals in their last six outings, she believes her side can be more clinical: “We generate a lot of chances and sometimes we don't score. We have to improve. Now, we have to play a great team, one of the best in the world. Every game at international level requires the best of us and we have to be very focused on the game.”
A dubious honour looms for a Lionesses legend in the making
18:27 , Arthur Ferridge
Keira Walsh is closing in on an unwanted Lionesses record. Should she play tonight and fail to score, she will draw equal with Rachel Brown as the most capped Lioness to have never scored for the Three Lions.
Tonight would be Walsh’s 82nd cap, making her one of the most experienced members of the current squad.
Walsh made an emphatic deadline day transfer from Barcelona to Chelsea in January, returning to the WSL after three seasons in Spain. While there, she became a two-time Champions League winner, knocking Chelsea out in the semi-finals last season.
Arsenal teammates set to go head-to-head
18:20 , Arthur Ferridge
Arsenal stars may well make the difference tonight, as three Lionesses and two Spaniards ply their trade in N5.
For the home side, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo are both likely to start in attack, with the latter looking to add to her 21 England goals after scoring against Portugal last week. Stalwart defender Leah Williamson remains Wiegman’s first choice for the captain’s armband.
Lining up across from them are fellow Gunners Laia Codina and Mariona Caldentey, who has been something of a sensation since signing from Barcelona last summer. Her five goals and two assists marks her as one of Arsenal’s most productive forwards and a clear fan favourite.
Versatile defender Codina has been similarly impactful. She will tonight fulfill her dream of playing at Wembley Stadium. Russo reports she is “buzzing.”
How does the Nations League work?
18:15 , Arthur Ferridge
This is the question on everybody’s minds ahead of any international break. The answer is not straightforward, so here is a brief crash course.
We are currently in the League Phase, where teams are sorted into three divisions based on prior performance in the competition and play a round-robin for promotion or relegation. Those three leagues are also broken down into four groups of four.
The winner of each group progresses to the Nations League finals, a knockout tournament which decides the ultimate Nations League champion.
The top eight teams in Group A at the culmination of the League Phase qualify for Euro 2025.
Toni Duggan is among the legends at Wembley tonight
18:09 , Arthur Ferridge
Keep an eye on the pitch at halftime this evening - legendary Lioness Toni Duggan is set to receive a “special presentation” celebrating her retirement. The winger has 38 WSL goals to her name following stints with Everton and Manchester City, adding three League Cups, two FA Cups, and one WSL title to her resume.
She is also set to be presented with her Legacy Cap alongside Ellen White, Rachel Williams, Jo Potter, Fara Williams and Clare Wheatley.
Legacy Caps are presented to all Lionesses, prominently featuring each player’s unique Legacy Number. They were first presented to celebrate the Lionesses’ 50th anniversary in 2022.
The numbers say it could go either way
18:04 , Arthur Ferridge
The Lionesses have never lost at home to Spain, winning five of their eight encounters. The most recent of those wins, though, was nearly three years ago, when a late Ella Toone equaliser and extra-time Georgia Stanway winner put England into the semi-finals of Euro 2022. England would go on to win the tournament.
Despite that, Spain have impressive form on the road, winning six of eight away matches under Montse Tome, the manager appointed in September 2023.
Spain are also the most efficient goalscorers in the Women’s Nations League, scoring more goals per game (3.4) than any other nation.
Russo: "We want to be moving forward" from World Cup defeat
17:57 , Arthur Ferridge
Alessia Russo said the Lionesses are not interested in taking revenge for the 2023 World Cup Final defeat, where Olga Carmona’s first-half goal ultimately made the difference.
She said: “Revenge kind of reflects on the past a little bit. We’re a new team and we’ve got lots of new faces and lots of new qualities within the squad now.
“We don’t want to be looking back. Obviously, it hurt. You can ask every player that was in that game and it wasn’t nice to lose out but we want to be moving forward.
“We’ve got a new opportunity – we’re back at Wembley and we’ve got all of our fans there and we’re really looking forward to it.”
Are the Lionesses on form?
17:45 , Arthur Ferridge
Oddly, it is not a particularly easy question to answer. England have only lost one of their last nine, a 3-4 friendly loss to Germany at Wembley in October, but have failed to impress in more recent fixtures, edging past Switzerland 1-0 and grinding out a goalless draw against Emma Hayes’ USA.
A laborious 1-1 draw to Portugal last time out has become a case study of the side’s recent struggles: the Lionesses showed a lack of urgency and struggled to convert their chances, with Sarina Wiegman facing criticism for her late substitutions, only one of which came before the 80th minute.
The Lionesses will need to show more conviction if they are to take any points away from tonight’s encounter.
Sarina Wiegman: 'We need to keep talking about it'
17:40 , Jamie Braidwood
Sarina Wiegman praised the courage of Spain and the bravery of Jenni Hermoso as the England manager underlined the importance of pushing for change in women’s game.
“First of all that Spain has just a very good team, but it also says that they show resilience and that they’re so brave,” Wiegman said.
“We’re talking about it again today, I think we have to keep talking about it, I would almost say, unfortunately, and we have to keep telling the world that we stand in solidarity with them and hopefully it will make change.
“And I think it only made change, but now we want to talk and play the game tomorrow here at Wembley.”
What have Spain achieved since winning the World Cup?
17:33 , Arthur Ferridge
Las Rojas have been on an impressive run since clinching World Cup glory with a 1-0 win over England in 2023, losing just once in 13 matches since.
A narrow 3-2 loss at the hands of Italy was the one blip, but has been more than counterbalanced by a 7-goal dismantling of Switzerland, 5-0 rout of South Korea, and 3-0 defeat of the Netherlands, whom Spain knocked out of the 2023 World Cup.
While off-pitch news surrounding the trial of Luis Rubiales has continued to swirl around the camp, the team have not allowed it to affect their performances.
Why England continue standing with Spain as Luis Rubiales casts shadow over Wembley
17:20 , Jamie Braidwood
When England step out to face Spain at Wembley tonight, there won’t be any talk of “revenge”. Instead, there is a reminder of the importance of speaking up.
The Lionesses may have been beaten by Spain in the Fifa Women’s World Cup final in August 2023, but it was what followed on that night in Sydney that continues to overshadow the world champions and their achievements.
Jenni Hermoso will not be at Wembley, but the England players will continue to stand in solidarity with the forward and the Spanish team after Luis Rubiales was found guilty of kissing her without her consent during their trophy celebrations.
There may be a temptation for England and Spain to banish Rubiales from their thoughts as they meet again on the Wembley stage.
But what occurred at the Women’s World Cup final left such a mark on the women’s game that it cannot be forgotten.
Why England continue standing with Spain as Luis Rubiales casts shadow over Wembley
Could Sarina Wiegman make changes?
17:12 , Jamie Braidwood
Mary Earps started against Portugal and it would be a sign that the goalkeeper is Sarina Wiegman’s No 1 ahead of the Euros if she keeps her place ahead of Hannah Hampton.
Lucy Bronze should be joined by Leah Williamson and Millie Bright in defence, while Niamh Charles and Jess Carter are options at left back.
Grace Clinton started alongside Keira Walsh in midfield and impressed, with Ella Toone set to play further ahead. Alessia Russo should keep her place up front with Lauren James on the left wing.
There could be a change at right wing, where Jess Park played against Portugal, and Aggie Beever-Jones or Chloe Kelly are options if Wiegman decides to deploy some more direct pace against Spain.
What is the England team news?
17:07 , Jamie Braidwood
England have no injury concerns since the Portugal game but Georgia Stanway, Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp are long-term absentees and Beth Mead and Lotte Wubben-Moy were forced to withdraw from the initial squad. Lucy Bronze’s withdrawal at half-time on Friday was just a precaution.
Is England vs Spain on TV?
17:05 , Jamie Braidwood
The match will be shown live on ITV 4, with coverage getting underway from 7:15pm on Wednesday 26 February. It will also be available to stream online on ITV X. Kick-off is 8pm at Wembley.
Good evening
17:00 , Jamie Braidwood
England face Spain at Wembley in a blockbuster rematch of the Women’s World Cup final in the Nations League.
The Lionesses were beaten by Spain in August 2023, in a match that was overshadowed by Luis Rubiales kissing Jenni Hermoso without her consent. While a verdict in the trial against Rubiales was only reached last week, attention on the pitch turns to this year’s Nations League campaign ahead of the summer’s Euros.
England were held by Portugal to a disappointing 1-1 draw in their opening fixture on Friday, while Spain scored two stoppage-time goals to beat Belgium 3-2 in a thrilling comeback. A defeat for Sarina Wiegman’s side at Wembley would be an early blow for their chances of reaching the Nations League finals, with only the top team from each group progressing.
Follow all the build-up to tonight’s game in our live blog.
