World Cup 2026 buildup as England and Scotland gear up for friendlies – matchday live
Key events
Thomas Tuchel has claimed that Harry Kane is ready to lead England to glory at the World Cup. The Bayern Munich striker has been short of fitness at previous major tournaments but looks in peak physical condition in the build-up to this one.
Tuchel said: “He looks in top shape. He looks lean, sharp and he trains at the highest level. We had a defensive training session today and he was leading the intensity. He is so used to the high press from Bayern Munich and the intensive game that they play in the opponents’ half. He is leading by example. I think he is in the best shape.
“He is ready to go. We don’t have to be worried about him at all, even if it is hot in June. He has showed me the whole week that he is ready. He is our key player.”
Tom Garry
As the game ticked into second-half stoppage time, Spain were almost showboating, Aitana Bonmatí flicking the ball around the pitch with grace, style and a swagger that sent out an emphatic message: Spain are significantly better than England.
On a balmy evening in Palma, the world champions taught the European champions a painful lesson. The scoreline was one thing but, more alarmingly, the undeniable gulf in technical ability between the teams gave the Lionesses a brutal reality check, a year out from the Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Sarina Wiegman admitted she “expected a different game” between the Lionesses and Spain last night. The England manager said: “Of course it hurts. I expected a totally different game. I expected a very tight game, a very competitive game, but it was different tonight, so that’s of course really disappointing and that hurts.”
She went on to add: “We were really struggling to keep the ball and find the passes further away or in behind. They played really well and we didn’t play so well. Out of possession, we were really struggling to stay compact, especially in our own half … our connections weren’t so good and they found the space we left straight away.”
Some stats/facts for you on last night’s game:
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It was England’s heaviest defeat in 17 years. They had not lost by a four-goal margin since the Euro 2009 final – a 6-2 loss to Germany.
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It was the first time the Lionesses had conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
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Prior to the match, England had not lost a qualifier since November 2002.
Let’s start by looking back at what happened last night. England suffered their worst defeat under Sarina Wiegman in a 4-0 thrashing by Spain. If you missed it, be sure to read the match report below…
Preamble
Hello, good morning and welcome to another Matchday live! England kick off their final World Cup preparations with a warm-up match against New Zealand tonight. The Three Lions arrived in Florida on Monday and have been acclimatising to the (very) warm weather. Some concerns have already been raised about the pitch they will play on, however. We will touch on that a bit more later on.
Meanwhile, the Lionesses suffered a dent in their World Cup qualification hopes last night with a 4-0 loss to Spain. England needed just a draw from the clash to punch their ticket to Brazil, but they will now likely have to go through additional qualifiers.
Scotland are also in action later today as they face Bolivia. We’ll be looking ahead to that as we get closer to kick-off.
All of that and more to come!
