Marc Cucurella faces a tough night against England at Wembley

At Wembley Stadium, London, on 26 September 2026, Spain and England met in the group stage of the UEFA Nations League 2026/27. The world champions, who displayed their second star, beat the World Cup semi‑finalists 3‑2, while Marc Cucurella played the full 90 minutes and endured a difficult night.

Lamine Yamal opened the scoring for Spain after two minutes, but Cucurella was caught out when Anthony Gordon performed a one‑two with Jude Bellingham on the counter‑attack for England.

Decisive second half

Harry Kane equalised with a header, and Cucurella could only deflect the ball with his knee into his own net. The Spanish defender received two penalty appeals, one for handball and another for a foul on Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, but the Italian referee Davide Massa dismissed them.

Kane missed the penalty that was awarded to him by Rodri, the Barcelona midfielder, after the infringement.

Lamine Yamal opens, Anthony Gordon equalises in the Nations League

Álex Baena capitalised on a loss of possession by Nico O’Reilly and, shortly after, Mikel Oyarzabal restored the 3‑2 lead for Spain.

The world champions of Spain, winners of the World Cup, displayed the second star on their badge for the first time, a symbol of their world title.

Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen returned to the squad after missing the World Cup, although he remained on the bench without coming on.

Álex Baena pushes Spain to stay alive in the Nations League

The match footage was released by Getty Images, and the victory marked the start of the Nations League campaign in September, in London.