Key facts. England beat Croatia 2-1 at Wembley on 12 November, Harry Kane winning his 126th cap and scoring the decisive penalty. Spain against England is on Sunday 15 November at 7.45pm UK time, live on ITV1 and ITVX.
Harry Kane has spent a decade making Wembley nights feel inevitable. On Thursday he added another line that will sit in the record books long after the scoreline has faded. The England captain walked out for his 126th cap, passed Peter Shilton’s mark of 125, and then scored the penalty that beat Croatia 2-1 and put the Three Lions into the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.
It was a historic evening that began with ceremony and ended with a hard, slightly anxious win. Morgan Rogers had given England a first-half lead. Petar Sucic levelled just before the hour. Kane, as he so often does, settled it from the spot in the 64th minute, his 92nd goal for his country. Sunday’s trip to Spain now decides who wins Group A3 and goes into the last-eight draw as a seeded side.
A record night, complete with the Ballon d’Or
England’s official match report is worth lingering on, because the pre-match scene was not a sideshow. Kane showed his Ballon d’Or trophy to the Wembley crowd. Peter Shilton, the man whose appearance record he was about to overtake, and the Prince of Wales handed him a commemorative shirt. Luka Modric, himself a former Ballon d’Or winner, presented a gift from the Croatian Football Federation. Kane started; Modric began on the bench.
Thomas Tuchel lined England up in a 4-2-3-1. Jordan Pickford started in goal, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Dan Burn and Lewis Hall behind Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson. Rogers, Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon supported Kane. That is the side that went looking for a first-half foothold after a cautious opening, with Croatia, perhaps still sore from England’s 7-0 win in Rijeka in October, forcing early corners.
England’s first sight of goal arrived after 16 minutes, Anderson shooting over from the edge of the box. Eight minutes later the lead arrived in familiar fashion. Kane dropped into a pocket and clipped a diagonal ball for Bellingham, whose first-time delivery was forced in from close range by Rogers. Officially it will go down as a poacher’s finish. In the stands it felt like the night had found its shape.
Sucic punctures the mood, Kane restores it
The remainder of the first half was tidy rather than thrilling. Hall had a shot deflected wide. Alexander-Arnold blazed over from distance. Pickford’s work was mostly routine, dealing with efforts from Mateo Kovacic and Martin Baturina. After the interval Gordon curled wide and Kane was denied by a block from Josip Stanisic, his Bayern Munich teammate, after Rice had cut the ball back.
Croatia’s equaliser, in the 59th minute, was the sloppy spell Tuchel later admitted to. England failed to deal with a corner and Sucic was first to the loose ball, poking it past Pickford. Sky Sports’ report described a casual header back towards the goalkeeper from Quansah. Either way, it was a gift Croatia accepted, and it left a record-breaking night suddenly in the balance.
England needed only five minutes to reply. Quansah was pulled down by Ivan Smolcic, a VAR review followed, and Danish referee Morten Krogh pointed to the spot. Kane went straight down the middle. England’s official report put his tally for this 2026-27 Nations League campaign at seven. The captain later called the whole evening “incredible”, thanked Croatia and Modric for their gift, and said the night was easier to enjoy once the result was safe.
The closing stages were not comfortable. Nikola Vlasic shot inches wide. James Garner thought he had a first England goal, only for the offside flag to go up. Substitute Ante Budimir headed over in stoppage time, after earlier being denied by a vital intervention from Quansah. Tuchel’s side held on. His own verdict was measured: an “okay” performance, slow to solve Croatia’s shape, then “sloppy” from a set piece, followed by the reaction a desperate result required.
Spain in Madrid, and the rest of the window
The prize is a quarter-final place already banked, with a chance to win the group in Madrid. Spain, the world and European champions, beat Czechia 2-0 on the same night, through an Alex Baena penalty and a late finish from Marc Pubill. UEFA’s round-up framed Sunday as the match that decides who advances from Group A3 as group winners. The Evening Standard, writing on 13 November, said England trail Spain by three points after five games each, so only a win would take Tuchel’s side top, while a point would be enough for Spain to stay there. The last-eight ties themselves are due in March, with group winners seeded for two-legged quarter-finals and the finals scheduled for June.
Spain against England kicks off at 7.45pm UK time (Europe/London, GMT) on Sunday 15 November at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. The under-21s are on a different path: they host Portugal at Ashton Gate at 7.30pm on Friday 13 November, with that game streamed on the England app.
Elsewhere in this Nations League window, Friday’s slate includes Scotland against North Macedonia and Germany away to Serbia, all at the usual 7.45pm UK time unless a late change is announced. On Saturday, Wales travel to Norway for an 6.00pm CET kick-off, which is 5.00pm in the UK, and the Republic of Ireland are away to Austria. Those kick-off times come from UEFA’s matchday schedule. Check the official broadcaster listings on the day, because international rights can shift at short notice.
Kane now stands alone on the appearance list and remains, by a distance, England’s record scorer. The night will be remembered for that, and for the penalty. The football in between was patchy enough that Tuchel will demand a sharper performance in Madrid. Spain will not need a second invitation if England again switch off at a corner.
How to watch Spain against England
In the United Kingdom, England Football lists the match live on ITV1. The Evening Standard and UK listings confirm it is free to air, with coverage from 7.00pm ahead of the 7.45pm kick-off, and that the official stream is on ITVX (free with registration). In Northern Ireland, UTV is also listed. Radio coverage is not the main official TV outlet here; if you want audio, check BBC Radio 5 Live’s schedule on the day.
In Spain, RTVE says the game is live and free on La 1 and on RTVE Play, at 8.45pm local time. In Australia and New Zealand, beIN SPORTS holds the Nations League rights this season and lists Spain against England at 6.45am AEDT on Monday 16 November, with official streams via beIN SPORTS CONNECT and the partners named on beIN’s own guide. In the United States, FOX Sports is the official 2026/27 Nations League rights holder across FS1, FS2 and FOX Soccer Plus. Check FOX’s listings for which of those channels has this specific Sunday match (2.45pm Eastern Time). Do not use an unofficial feed. If you are in another country, start with the official UEFA or national broadcaster list rather than a random website.
If you are also filling the rest of the weekend, we have a TV guide to Wales against New Zealand and England against Japan on Saturday, plus how to watch the Premier League when it returns on 21 November.
FAQs
What channel is Spain against England on in the UK?
ITV1, with the official stream on ITVX. Coverage is listed from 7.00pm UK time. UTV is also listed in Northern Ireland.
What time does Spain against England kick off?
7.45pm UK time (Europe/London, GMT) on Sunday 15 November 2026, at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. That is 8.45pm in Spain and 2.45pm Eastern Time in the United States.
Did Harry Kane break the England appearance record against Croatia?
Yes. He won his 126th cap at Wembley on 12 November, passing Peter Shilton’s 125, and scored the winning penalty in a 2-1 victory that put England into the Nations League quarter-finals.
Watch safely
Use official TV channels and legal apps only. A virtual private network can help if you are on public Wi-Fi, in a hotel, or travelling, and it can protect the connection when you sign in to those official services. It is not a way to dodge a subscription or to find an unofficial stream, and we will not point you to one. These are the services I point people to: NordVPN, Surfshark, IPVanish, CyberGhost, PureVPN and Ivacy.
If you want a living room box for official sports apps, these are two I point people to. The NVIDIA Shield TV Pro is still the one I put first if you want a proper Android TV Play Store. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the simpler stick option, with official apps from Amazon’s own store. These product links were checked on 13 November 2026:
NVIDIA Shield TV Pro
- NVIDIA Shield TV Pro on Amazon UK
- NVIDIA Shield TV Pro on Amazon US
- NVIDIA Shield TV Pro on Amazon Germany
- NVIDIA Shield TV Pro on Amazon France
- NVIDIA Shield TV Pro on Amazon Italy
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
- Fire TV Stick 4K Max on Amazon UK
- Fire TV Stick 4K Max on Amazon US
- Fire TV Stick 4K Max on Amazon Germany
- Fire TV Stick 4K Max on Amazon France
- Fire TV Stick 4K Max on Amazon Italy
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Written by Dr Husham Memar