Spain v England, La Roja's record on the line against the Three Lions

Spain v England takes place on Sunday 15 November at 8.45pm Belgian time, at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, on the final matchday of group A3 of the Nations League. The world champions host the team that finished third at the last World Cup, with a remarkable run to defend: La Roja have not lost a match in normal time since March 2024.

England arrive with a score to settle after their defeat at Wembley in September, and a captain who has just won the Ballon d'Or. For fans of online football betting, it is the standout European fixture of the evening.

A run that began with a defeat in London

Spain's last defeat came on 22 March 2024, when Colombia won 1-0 in a friendly in London. Since then, Luis de la Fuente's side have strung together game after game without losing: the count stood at 42 after their win in Croatia on 6 October.

On Thursday night in Prague, La Roja took that count to 43 with a 2-0 win over ten-man Czechia, who lost Ladislav Krejčí to a red card, thanks to an Álex Baena penalty and a stoppage-time goal from Marc Pubill. Counting competitive matches only, the run even stands at 44, since a defeat in Scotland in March 2023.

In that time, La Roja have won almost everything. They lifted Euro 2024 by beating England in the final in Berlin (2-1), with goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal either side of a Cole Palmer equaliser. Above all, they won the 2026 World Cup in July, thanks to a Ferran Torres goal in extra time against Argentina (1-0).

How La Roja overtook Mancini's Italy

The previous record belonged to Roberto Mancini's Italy, unbeaten in 37 matches between 2018 and 2021. Spain went past it at Wembley on 26 September with their 39th game without defeat.

One detail matters: the run counts results in normal time. The 2025 Nations League final, lost on penalties to Portugal after a 2-2 draw, therefore did not end it.

The World Cup confirmed how solid the side is. Spain conceded just one goal in eight matches, the fewest ever by a world champion. In the final they dominated an Argentina side reduced to ten men after Enzo Fernández was sent off.

La Roja want to beat England a second time after Wembley

The first meeting on 26 September showed the run can wobble. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring after a Marc Guéhi error, but England turned it around before half-time: Anthony Gordon equalised on 36 minutes and Harry Kane headed them in front four minutes later.

The turning point came soon after the restart. Kane slipped as he struck a penalty, awarded for a Rodri foul on Jude Bellingham, and hit the bar. Spain made them pay: Álex Baena levelled around the hour mark, then set up Mikel Oyarzabal for the 3-2 winner.

Three days later, Yamal scored twice against Croatia in Seville (4-1). After the Wembley win, Luis de la Fuente summed up his approach: "The next match will once again be as if it were the last. That's the secret."

The battle between the strikers is another draw. Yamal scored four times in the first three matchdays (once at Wembley, twice against Croatia, once against Czechia in Oviedo). At the other end, Kane has scored in all five of England's group games, seven goals in total. England's captain has never been in better scoring form going into a meeting with Spain.

The Three Lions take on Spain led by Harry Kane

Thomas Tuchel's England, under his charge since January 2025, responded quickly. They won 2-0 in Prague against ten-man Czechia, then 7-0 in Rijeka against Croatia, with braces from Kane and Bukayo Saka, before beating the Czechs again 3-0 at Wembley. Twelve goals scored, none conceded.

That night, on 6 October, Harry Kane won his 125th cap and equalled the record Peter Shilton had held since the 1990 World Cup. Three weeks later he became the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the Ballon d'Or, after a season of 73 goals for Bayern Munich and his country.

On Thursday night at Wembley against Croatia, he won his 126th cap and moved past Shilton to become England’s most-capped player of all time. He marked the record by scoring the winning penalty (2-1), his 92nd international goal.

England in Spain for top spot in group A3

Before Thursday's games, the two sides' group A3 records looked like this:

• Spain, 12 points: 3-2 winners at Wembley, 4-1 against Croatia in Seville, 3-1 against Czechia in Oviedo, then 2-1 in Croatia after falling behind.
• England, 9 points: beaten 3-2 by Spain, then 2-0 winners in Prague, 7-0 in Rijeka and 3-0 against Czechia at Wembley.

With twelve points and two matchdays left, Spain were already sure of a top-two finish. Since Thursday, England are too: La Roja have fifteen points, the Three Lions twelve, and Spain v England will decide first place.

The top two in each League A group play the quarter-finals in March 2027. On Sunday, the main issue is first place, and the opponent that comes with it in the spring.

For Tuchel, the trip is also a real test. England finished third at the World Cup after a 6-4 win over France in the third-place play-off, inspired by a Saka hat-trick, but lost their last two big meetings with Spain. Their last win over La Roja came in October 2018, also in the Nations League: 3-2 in Seville, with two goals from Raheem Sterling.

Spain host England at their Metropolitano fortress

The venue does the visitors no favours. Since Atlético's stadium opened in 2017, Spain have never lost there: 6-1 against Argentina in 2018, 5-0 against Romania and a 0-0 draw with Portugal in June 2021. More than 70,000 fans are expected on Sunday.

Also at 8.45pm, Belgium welcome Italy to Brussels, three days after the Red Devils' night in Izmir. Belgian fans will have two Nations League fixtures running side by side.

Spain v England in the Nations League and the weight of the record

For Spain, the run is not a goal in itself, as their head coach keeps saying. For England, becoming the first team to beat La Roja since March 2024 would carry real symbolic weight, two months after the defeat at Wembley.

Even a run this long guarantees nothing for the next game: Spain have drawn several matches along the way. Spain v England odds stay open until the final whistle on the Golden Vegas Sport site, which holds a Belgian Gaming Commission licence. History protects no stake: set a sensible budget before kick-off.