England began their post-2022 World Cup schedule with a 2-1 victory in Italy. After the 2018 tournament, they returned with a 2-1 loss to Spain. Their first match following the 2014 World Cup was a 1-0 friendly triumph over Norway, although that side featured Joshua King, Håvard Nordtveit and Tarik Elyounoussi rather than the later generation led by Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard and Antonio Nusa. After the 2010 World Cup, England beat Hungary 2-1 in another friendly.
The meetings with Italy and Spain may have generated some interest, but the post-tournament letdown was unmistakable. That is hardly surprising: after the exceptional intensity of a World Cup, players and supporters inevitably struggle to summon the same enthusiasm immediately. Major competitions produce emotions at their highest level, so a period of deflation follows regardless of whether the campaign ends in glory, heartbreak or embarrassment.
This is where the Nations League proves useful. These fixtures are more meaningful than forgettable friendlies played before a restless Wembley crowd, yet they are not merely the opening steps of a long qualification campaign. Their importance can be adjusted according to a team’s priorities. Coaches can test players and tactics without every disappointing result becoming a crisis.
At the same time, winning still brings a trophy and a clear objective, even if Roberto Martínez appeared slightly unconvincing when citing Portugal’s 2025 Nations League title in support of his managerial record. One way to judge the competition’s status is to consider how many previous champions most supporters can recall. In that respect, it resembles the Carabao Cup: significant enough to matter, but not important enough to define a team’s success. Within the international schedule, it offers a useful reset.
Partly because attention had been dominated by developments in the Manchester City case, Saturday’s meeting between England and Spain arrived with relatively little buildup. Domestic competition stopped, England’s World Cup elimination by Argentina was briefly reconsidered, and then the focus abruptly shifted to Wembley. Once the match began, England’s encounter with the world champions quickly developed its own compelling story.
On the surface, the result followed a pattern similar to England’s defeat by Argentina in Atlanta. England held a one-goal advantage over the reigning world champions after 55 minutes, only to lose control and concede twice. Yet the performance also represented meaningful progress. Two of Spain’s three goals came from individual mistakes, both unexpectedly committed by Manchester City players, raising the possibility that the previous day’s news had affected their concentration. Harry Kane also slipped while taking a penalty that could have put England 3-1 ahead, sending his effort against the crossbar. Spain created further opportunities and might have won by a wider margin, but England could just as easily have claimed a two-goal victory on another occasion. Against opponents of Spain’s quality, that may be a realistic measure of success. Completely neutralizing them is almost impossible, so turning the contest into one either team could have won remains encouraging, even if Spain ultimately held the edge.
A converted penalty and a 3-1 England win would not suddenly have solved every problem in the domestic game, nor would it have erased the disappointment of losing to Argentina. Even so, this match gave Thomas Tuchel and his players a chance to move forward and begin applying lessons from the semi-final defeat. England may secure good results against Croatia and Czechia and reach next March’s quarter-finals, or they may fall short. The greater priority is continuing their preparations for Euro 2028. That work becomes easier within a schedule of matches that carry some competitive weight while presenting a tougher test than conventional qualifiers.
That view naturally reflects the position of a country such as England, where qualification for major tournaments is usually expected. The Nations League has also delivered clear advantages for smaller countries. Teams generally benefit from facing opponents of comparable strength. Nations such as Andorra and Liechtenstein should remain part of international competition, but repeatedly defending deep to avoid heavy defeats against stronger sides helps nobody. When lower-ranked teams meet each other, they have a genuine opportunity to attack as well as defend. The structure of European Championship qualification also offers them a possible playoff route to the finals, allowing an especially talented generation to accelerate progress that might otherwise require many years of gradual improvement.
The Nations League was met with considerable doubt when it launched in 2018, and some subsequent changes to its format have not necessarily improved it. Nevertheless, the competition has largely achieved its purpose and provides a useful reminder that football’s governing bodies occasionally make sound decisions.
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