Spain Beat England 3-2 at Wembley in Nations League Opener

Spain defeated England 3-2 in their UEFA Nations League opener at Wembley Stadium on 26 September 2026, extending the world and European champions' unbeaten run to 39 matches. The match featured early Spanish dominance, defensive errors from England, and a dramatic reversal of fortunes across the 90 minutes.

Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the second minute after Marc Guehi lost possession in a lapse of concentration, the earliest goal England had conceded at Wembley in nearly 70 years—only Hungary (1953) and Scotland (1957) had scored earlier at the stadium. England responded with a swift counter-attack: Anthony Gordon equalized in the 36th minute after combining with Jude Bellingham, and Harry Kane put the hosts ahead 2-1 with a deflected header in the 40th minute off a Nico O'Reilly cross, with the ball touching Marc Cucurella before reaching the net.

The momentum shifted in Spain's favour after Kane missed a penalty in the 54th minute following a VAR-reviewed challenge by Rodri on Bellingham. Kane slipped as he struck his spot-kick, sending it against the crossbar. Spain equalized through Alex Baena in the 60th minute after O'Reilly gave away possession, and Mikel Oyarzabal sealed the victory in the 74th minute with a delicate chip over goalkeeper James Trafford. The result leaves England facing the need to overcome Spain in Madrid in November to keep alive their hopes of reaching the Nations League finals, while Spain topped Group A3.