Match Progress
12 mins: Spain continue to press forward, but their attack concludes with one shot blocked and another missing the target wide.
9 mins: Opportunity for Spain! A deflected ball results in another corner. Paredes connects with a powerful header at the far post, narrowly clearing the crossbar. The match has been far from cautious, delivering continuous excitement.
8 mins: Hampton loses possession deep in England’s half, yet Lopez fails to capitalize. Instead of advancing quickly into the penalty area for a shot, she moves toward the box and attempts a pass, which is intercepted.
7 mins: James receives the ball with ample space on the left flank, enters the area, skillfully bypasses Batlle, but fires over the goal from approximately 10 yards.
5 mins: Spain earn a corner, but it drifts out for a goal kick. The initial description of the opening goal underestimated the quality of Russo’s assist, who deliberately found her teammate while lying flat on her back.
Goal! England Take the Lead! England 1-0 Spain (Hemp, 3 mins)
A corner from the left deflects off a defender and falls to Hemp, who swivels and volleys toward goal from about four yards. Putellas is on the line and clears the ball, but it had already crossed the line.
2 mins: Early foul by Russo, who brings down Guijarro in the centre circle. Such an early yellow card is rare as referees tend to avoid early bookings.
1 min: Kick-off! Spain start the match.
The atmosphere is charged as only moments remain before the whistle. A loud cheer erupts when Sarina Wiegman presents Keira Walsh with a shirt commemorating her 100th cap. The crowd is energized for this encounter.
As the players enter, a large Three Lions emblem is displayed at the centre circle by uniformed armed forces personnel. Some question the appropriateness of this display given their training and current duties.
The teams assemble in the tunnel, with kick-off imminent following the anthems and handshakes.
Mary Earps has been honoured on the pitch with a framed shirt as the Football Association celebrates her England career. The former Lionesses goalkeeper received a warm reception from the crowd. She reflected that her favourite moment was winning the Euros at this ground in 2022 before receiving her presentation from FA Chair Debbie Hewitt.
Pre-Match Comments from Sarina Wiegman
“She’s going in the right direction. This was just a little bit too early. We don’t want to take a massive risk with her.”
Wiegman referred to the absent captain Leah Williamson.
“She’s very excited. I think she’s done really well. She’s in good form, I hope she can express herself tonight.”
On 21-year-old Lucia Kendall making her competitive debut.
“A special moment for her, and good timing, playing in Wembley against Spain, so a top-level game. It shows what she has done for England football and how far she has come, and I hope still a lot more to come.”
Regarding Keira Walsh captaining on her 100th appearance.
The Teams
Team news confirms Keira Walsh’s 100th England appearance in the team’s 499th game. Both teams are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 formation:
England: Hampton; Bronze, Wubben-Moy, Morgan, Greenwood; Kendall, Walsh, Stanway; Hemp, Russo, James.
Spain: Coll; Batlle, Paredes, Mapi Leon, Carmona; Caldentey, Guijarro, Putellas; Lopez, Gonzalez, Pina.
Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden).
Prepare for a significant World Cup qualifier featuring the world’s first-ranked Spain and fourth-ranked England, the only group in League A with two top-10 FIFA teams. Both finalists of last year’s Euros, Spain remain unbeaten since that tournament, while England suffered a 2-1 friendly defeat to Brazil following their title win.
The teams’ combined post-Euro results across six matches highlight their quality: England with 22 goals scored and 3 conceded; Spain with 14 goals scored and 2 conceded against stronger opposition.
They compete for one direct qualification spot for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The other three group teams, Iceland and Ukraine, currently have no points after two matches and face a complex playoff system. Both will aim to win tonight, though the possibility remains that one or both may prioritize avoiding defeat.
Pre-Match Analysis
Tom Garry’s preview notes:
Eight and a half months after meeting in the Euro 2025 final, England and Spain face each other again before over 70,000 spectators at Wembley. This time the match is a qualifier for the Women’s World Cup, another tournament where they previously met in the final.
Since the last encounter in Basel, Spain have refreshed their squad with a new head coach and emerging young players. Under Sonia Bermúdez, who replaced Montse Tomé, they have already secured the Nations League title and remain unbeaten post-Euros with five wins and one draw in six matches.
“They have some other players, but their DNA stays the same,”
said England head coach Sarina Wiegman.
Lucy Bronze warms up ahead of the match, preparing for what promises to be a high-stakes contest.
