London turns its attention back to Wembley this weekend, where England begin their 2028-29 Nations League campaign against Spain carrying both the pride and the lingering disappointment of their recent World Cup. Thomas Tuchel’s side returned from that tournament with third place, their best finish since lifting the trophy on home soil in 1966, yet the route to the podium did little to erase the pain of the semi-final defeat by Argentina.
England had looked set for the final after Anthony Gordon put them ahead, only for Enzo Fernández to level in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martínez to complete Argentina’s 2-1 comeback in the 92nd. Bukayo Saka, who did not leave the bench in that match, said the squad still feels the mark left by a moment when belief had spread far beyond the dressing room.
“There is obviously a scar from that time, when we all felt so united and so sure that we could do it,” the Arsenal winger said. “It felt as though the whole country shared that hope. You try to move on as quickly as possible, but a scar is a scar; it heals when it heals.”
Wembley opens a demanding autumn
Spain arrive in the capital as the World Cup winners, providing England with an immediate test in League A’s Group 3. Croatia and the Czech Republic complete a section in which the leading two teams will advance to the quarter-finals.
For England, the Nations League offers a new route towards what they hope will become only the second major title in the national team’s history. Saka described the four group fixtures as decisive and difficult, saying the players’ concentration is already fixed on qualification.
After the meeting with Spain at Wembley, England travel to face the Czech Republic on 29 September. They then go to Croatia on 3 October before returning to London for another match against the Czechs on 6 October. The journey begins in familiar surroundings, but with the memory of Argentina still close enough to shape the mood around the camp.
