Spain take 38-match unbeaten run into Wembley meeting with England

World champions Spain will put a 38-match unbeaten run on the line against England at Wembley on Saturday, 26 September, in a Nations League match kicking off at 19:45 BST. Their last defeat was a 1–0 friendly loss to Colombia in 2024. [1]

Barcelona’s academy and the leading Basque clubs have supplied a substantial part of that successful side. Eight players in Luis de la Fuente’s 2026 World Cup-winning squad developed at La Masia — matching the academy’s representation in Spain’s victorious 2010 squad. Five members of the 2026 squad came from the Basque region and developed at Athletic Bilbao or Real Sociedad. [1]

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague sees three foundations for Spain’s success: university-based coach education, the Basque emphasis on daily effort, and the tactical influence of Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona. He outlined that assessment to BBC Radio 5 Live in comments reported by BBC Sport. [1]

Teaching players to decide

For Jordi Gratacos, Barcelona’s former international director of academies, technical skill needs to come with an understanding of its tactical purpose. He described an approach in which coaches create situations that require players to choose their own actions, then offer feedback on those decisions. [1]

“The most important thing is that they need to decide inside the game,” Gratacos told BBC Radio 5 Live. [1]

Balague also traced the development of Spanish coaching to university physical-education programmes in the 1990s. He said these helped produce fitness and football coaches with a deep understanding of how players learn and train. [1]

The Basque contribution

The influence of Athletic and Real Sociedad extends beyond this summer’s squad: eight Spain players were playing for the two clubs when the national team won Euro 2024. [1]

Former Chelsea captain and Spain international Cesar Azpilicueta described Basque football culture to BBC Radio 5 Live as grounded in discipline, hard work and resilience. His account also emphasised physical duels, compact organisation and keeping possession simple while moving the ball forward quickly. [1]