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
- England host Spain at Wembley in Nations League clash | Live on ITV 4 and ITV X
- Match takes place following verdict in Luis Rubiales trial last week
- 32' GOAL! England lead as Jess Park bundles in from close range (ENG 1-0 ESP)
- 24' SAVE! James played through by Bright switch but Coll saves (ENG 0-0 ESP)
- 11' OFF THE BAR! Garcia rattles post after England fail to clear corner (ENG 0-0 ESP)
- England XI: Hampton; Bronze, Williamson, Bright, Carter; Walsh, Clinton, Toone; Park, Russo, James
- Spain XI: Coll; Batlle, Parades, Mendez, Carmona; Aleixandri, Bonmati, Caldentey; Paralluelo, L Garcia, Pina
- England make one change as Hannah Hampton replaces Mary Earps in goal
England 1-0 Spain
21:04 , Arthur Ferridge45mins: Spain cruise straight into the England penalty area to start the second half but a perfectly placed Millie Bright tackle cancels the threat.
Moments later, Mariona Caldentey and Parraluello combine to create a fantastic chance, but the Arsenal star’s shot flies wide.
Lucy Bronze goes down off the ball with what looks like an ankle injury, but she seems fit to carry on.
Second half begins: England 1-0 Spain
21:02 , Arthur Ferridge45 mins: The teams are back out and we are back underway!
Based on the last quarter of an hour, England will need to show a bit of resilience to get this over the line. They have managed to hold up under an attacking barrage from Spain so far, but whether the defence can hold will be a key point.
Keeping Lauren James on the ball and Aitana Bonmati off it as much as possible will also work wonders for England.
The halftime statistics
20:56 , Arthur FerridgeIt was ultimately a strong first half from England despite a slow start, though Spain could (and probably should) have scored at least one of their chances.
Spain have enjoyed the majority of possession but only just, with 55.4%. Both sides have had 3 shots on target, and the visitors have committed seven fouls to the hosts’ five.
Plenty has been said about England’s lack of clinical edge, and that is well evidenced by the fact that six corners have gone begging with little goal threat created.
Just the one booking so far, awarded to Spain captain Irene Paredes.
HALF TIME - England 1-0 Spain
20:48 , Jamie BraidwoodStill a long way to go, but England have been excellent in spells against the world champions. So far, enough of Sarina Wiegman’s side are winning their individual battles, with Lauren James, Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze all superb. Jess Park has been tenacious, including as she popped up to bundle in England’s goal.
England 1-0 Spain
20:46 , Arthur Ferridge43mins: This is fast becoming an evening-defining rivalry as the England goalie denies Bonmati once again.
Spain are knocking on the door, though, having responded well to Park’s goal. England will do well to keep their advantage at halftime.
England 1-0 Spain
20:43 , Arthur Ferridge40mins: Paralluelo is making a real nuisance of herself down the right flank. She cuts in and curls one towards the far post again, forcing another save out of Hampton.
Charles is just about containing her, but it is no mean feat.
England 1-0 Spain
20:39 , Arthur Ferridge37 mins: The Spanish artillery is really getting warm now. Bonmati unleashes a high-velocity shot from long range but it is right at Hampton. It looks to have stung her palms a little as the Chelsea shot-stopper parries it down.
England 1-0 Spain
20:37 , Arthur Ferridge36mins: The whole stadium leans forward in their seats as Parraluello whips one goalwards from range and goes agonisingly close to an emphatic equaliser.
Wembley Stadium breaths a sigh of relief.
GOAL: England 1-0 Spain
20:34 , Arthur Ferridge32 mins: Jess Park opens the scoring! A fantastic spell for England and they get what has been coming to them.
Clinton finds Russo on the left side of the box. She rolls her marker and takes a deflected shot at goal which falls kindly for Park to knock home.
European champions one, world champions nil.
England 0-0 Spain
20:29 , Arthur Ferridge26 mins: A halfhearted penalty cry for England as Williamson is hauled down in the box by Aleixandri, but the referee is having none of it. Play on.
England have grown into this match as we approach the half-hour mark, much improved from the opening exchanges. A first goal cannot be far away.
England 0-0 Spain
20:2624 mins: Unbelievably, it is still goalless! Millie Bright plays James in, exercising the Chelsea connection, and the latter shoots from a tight angle forcing another smart save from Coll.
England 0-0 Spain
20:23 , Arthur Ferridge24 mins: Lauren James is clearly in the mood for this. She picks the ball up deep in her own half, shrugs off the press and plays a gorgeous through ball to Charles, who wins a foul on the corner of the Spain penalty area.
James shoots at goal and forces a good save from Coll. She follows it up with a tantalising cross - James has singlehandedly put England on the front foot in the last five minutes.
England 0-0 Spain
20:21 , Arthur Ferridge19mins: Charles loses the ball on the edge of the area, and of course, it drops right to Bonmati. She shoots over from the edge of the area - a major let off for England.
England 0-0 Spain
20:19 , Arthur Ferridge17 mins: That is more like it - Lucy Bronze sets her sights on Bonmati as she attempts to play out from the back and hounds her out of play, winning a corner in the act.
Bronze looks more than a little pleased with herself as she tracks back.
England 0-0 Spain
20:19 , Jamie Braidwood17 mins: Incredible work from Bronze to press Bonmati from Spain’s 18-yard line and force the Barcelona star to concede a corner. It sums up England's approach off the ball so far. The hosts will drop off when Spain have possession but are prepared to step in and be physically aggressive when the moment comes.
England 0-0 Spain
20:17 , Arthur Ferridge14 mins: England remain under the cosh as Spain record their third corner of the night already.
The broadcast cuts to Sarina Wiegman, who is looking rather disappointed in her dugout after a subpar opening quarter of an hour.
England 0-0 Spain
20:13 , Arthur Ferridge11 mins: That’s the best chance of the game so far! England fail to clear the ball after a corner and Garcia shoots from the edge of the six-yard box, rattling the crossbar.
A reality check for the Lionesses, to be sure.
England 0-0 Spain
20:10 , Arthur Ferridge9 mins: Hampton is almost caught in possession there, but is awarded a dubious foul as Garcia gets a little overzealous in her pressurizing.
England head straight back down the other end off the back of the free kick and the crowd wakes up as James gets on the ball, but no real threat is created.
England 0-0 Spain
20:07 , Arthur Ferridge7 mins: What will be key to an England win tonight will be playing the game on their own terms, and they have not been able to do so thus far.
Spain have dominated possession in the opening exchanges, with an effective press ensuring England get little done when they do have the ball.
England 0-0 Spain
20:05 , Arthur Ferridge3 mins: The opening exchanges are rather cagey, until Salma Paralluelo gets on the ball. She drives at Lucy Bronze with a remarkably direct dribble and wins a corner, which comes to nought.
It will be some task for Bronze to contain her tonight.
KICKOFF: England 0-0 Spain
20:01 , Arthur Ferridge0 mins: Ella Toone gets us going under the lights at Wembley Stadium. A tantalising 90 minutes on the way!
Worth noting that Spain’s starting XI includes seven players who started in that fateful final back in 2022. Doubt that’ll be anything to worry about.
Here we go!
19:55 , Arthur FerridgeKickoff is now just five minutes away!
The two sides enter the pitch under an incredible Wembley light show, pyrotechnics and all.
Just the anthems to go, then we will be underway.
"Everything about her is world class"
19:50 , Arthur FerridgeIan Wright is heaping praise on Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati, and why not?
The Spaniard lays serious claim to the ‘greatest of all time’ debate, and her trophy cabinet speaks for itself.
FIve Liga F titles, three UWCL titles, six Copa de la Reina. Oh, and two Balons d’Or for good measure.
Toone, Walsh, and Clinton will have an unenviable job on their hands tonight as they attempt to contain her in midfield.
15 minutes to kickoff
19:44 , Arthur FerridgeKickoff is not far away now, so let’s look across the water. Elsewhere in League A, Group 3, Belgium host Portugal in what is currently a goalless draw after half an hour.
A win for either side will see them move top of the group temporarily, pending the final score at Wembley.
Why has Hannah Hampton come in for Mary Earps?
19:41 , Arthur FerridgeSince making the move to Chelsea in 2023, Hannah Hampton has made a point of challenging Mary Earps for the England #1 shirt.
There is very little to separate the two in terms of shot-stopping or distributing abilities, so why has Earps been dropped?
The pair have been splitting duties for some time now, with Earps featuring primarily through the World Cup last summer, but with less important matches on the horizon, Wiegman is taking the opportunity to experiment.
Nations League matches have little consequence should they go awry - even with a loss today, England will be in no danger of missing out on Euros qualification. So, why not give Hampton a run out? This is her audition to take the starting role on a permanent basis in the summer.
Wiegman: No decision made on number one keeper
19:29 , Arthur FerridgeSarina Wiegman speaks to ITV ahead of kickoff, touching on the goalkeeper debate, Grace Clinton’s move into midfield, and what this match means.
On Hampton and Earps: “We have two world class goalkeepers competing for the number one position and we haven’t decided yet. The closer the Euros come, the more important that decision will be. We trust both of them, tonight it is Hannah Hampton.”
A test for Clinton: “It will be a test for everyone on the pitch. We have a lot of changes, new players coming in. I hope [Clinton] does as well as everyone else on the pitch.”
On whether Spain offers more learning opportunities: “I think so, I think you learn from every game, but you get exposed when you don’t do well. I hope tonight we can get our best performance on the pitch.”
Who is Claudia Pina?
19:25 , Arthur FerridgeWearing the number nine shirt for Spain tonight is Claudia Pina, making just her seventh appearance for the national side.
Lining up on the right wing, she will be high on confidence after scoring a crucial goal against Belgium last time out.
The Barcelona star has fought hard to establish herself in such a talented Spain squad, scoring 35 goals in 29 appearances for the U17 outfit before quickly progressing through youth levels, making her first team debut against Denmark in 2021.
After graduating from Barcelona’s La Masia academy, she has become a fixture in the first team, making 104 appearances since debuting in 2017.
Alexia Putellas is a fan of hers, telling Diario Sport that “things always happen when she has the ball.”
Chelsea dominate the Lionesses squad
19:17 , Arthur FerridgeMore than half of the Lionesses starting XI tonight are current Chelsea players.
That can only be a good thing. Sonia Bompastor’s Blues remain unbeaten so far this season and hold a commanding lead at the top of the WSL.
The six Blues include some of the most decorated players in the game:
- Hannah Hampton, GK
- Lucy Bronze, RB
- Millie Bright, CB
- Niamh Charles, LB
- Kiera Walsh, CM
- Lauren James, LW
EURO 2025 kicks off in 127 days
19:12England’s will have their first opportunity to defend their EURO 2022 title this summer, and it really is not as far away as it might seem.
With just 127 days to go until the opening match, in which Switzerland will face Norway, tonight will serve as a litmus test. Are England really ready to go back under the microscope, or are Spain better positioned to lift the trophy in July?
Spain are now the top-ranked team in Europe according to FIFA’s leaderboards, and England can’t even lay claim to the second-place sport having been leapfrogged by Germany in December.
With the world (and tens of thousands of fans in the stadium) watching, now is as good a chance as any for England to show what they can do.
With only four more friendlies to play before the tournament, time is fast running out for Wiegman to kick her team into gear.
Plenty of happy reunions at Wembley!
19:05 , Arthur FerridgeThe prematch pitch inspection looks to be quite a sociable affair!
Plenty of current and former teammates are reunited ahead of kickoff.
It's all love pre-match 🫂#ITVFootball | #Lionesses pic.twitter.com/e8K7b6wvPq
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 26, 2025
LINEUPS: Wiegman and Tomé lay their cards on the table
18:51 , Arthur FerridgeBoth sides have gone for strong lineups.
Just the one change for England, as Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton comes in for Mary Earps. Spain rotate more, adding Lucia Garcia up top and dropping Mariona Caldentey into midfield.
Here are the full lineups:
England: Hampton; Bronze, Williamson, Bright, Charles; Clinton, Walsh, Toone; Park, Russo, James
Spain: Coll; Batlle, Parades, Mendez, Carmona; Aleixandri, Bonmati, Caldentey; Paralluelo, L Garcia, Pina
Mariona Caldentey to pull the strings for Spain
18:50 , Arthur FerridgeAnother Arsenal star set to star at Wembley is Mariona Caldentey. She has become a quick fan favourite in N5, often deploying on the wings or as a roaming attacking midfielder, scoring five goals so far in her debut season.
She takes up a similar role in the national setup, racking up more goal contributions than any other member of the Spain squad since the start of last year (12).
Caldentey remains on red-hot form, too, with one goal and three assists in her last three appearances.
One to watch: Alessia Russo
18:46 , Arthur FerridgeWith 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 FerridgeLas 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 FerridgeTomé 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 FerridgeKeira 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 FerridgeArsenal 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 FerridgeThis 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 FerridgeKeep 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 FerridgeThe 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 FerridgeAlessia 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 FerridgeOddly, 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 BraidwoodSarina 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 FerridgeLas 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 BraidwoodWhen 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 BraidwoodMary 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 BraidwoodEngland 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 BraidwoodThe 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 BraidwoodEngland 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.
