Branthwaite, Garner and King omitted for Spain game

England manager Thomas Tuchel has omitted Josh King, James Garner and Jarrad Branthwaite from his squad to face world champions Spain in Madrid on Sunday night.

England travelled to Spain with a squad of 26 players but Uefa rules state that only 23 players can be selected in a matchday squad for Nations League games

The return to fitness of Ezri Konsa and Djed Spence - who missed Thursday's win over Croatia - has been a contributing factor in the trio's omission.

Arsenal defender Konsa could come straight back into the starting XI while James Trafford will replace Jordan Pickford in goal.

Garner replaced Declan Rice in the 77th minute of the 2-1 victory over Croatia at Wembley, scoring a goal that was subsequently disallowed, while Everton team-mate Branthwaite and Fulham's King were unused substitutes.

King received his first senior call-up for the two final Nations League fixtures in Group A3, but the midfielder, 19, will not feature in this international window.

However, fellow first-time call-ups Jobe Bellingham and James Hill are included.

Arsenal defender Ben White, who was booed when he came on as a substitute against Croatia, is also part of the reduced 23-man party.

England sit three points behind Spain in their group and know that a win will secure top spot in the table, as they already have a superior goal difference to their opponents.

Tuchel's side are already guaranteed a quarter-final spot and a first-place finish will secure them a tie against one of the runners-ups in one of the three other groups in League A.

The two-legged quarter-finals will be played in March, with semi-finals and a final to be played in June.

In the build-up to Sunday's fixture, Tuchel reminded his players of Uefa's anti-racism protocols, with the match to be the national team's first in the Spanish capital since a notorious game at Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium in 2004 which was overshadowed by racist chanting aimed at England players.

The Spanish federation was fined last month and ordered to play their next friendly match with a partial stadium closure after fans sang "Islamophobic and xenophobic" chants about Muslims during a game against Egypt.

"We had the same discussion before the Serbia game [in Belgrade in September 2025]," Tuchel said. "There is a protocol in place.

"Maybe we take our five minutes to inform the players about the protocol if there is a precedent [in Madrid]."

The England coach's comments were dismissed by Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who said: "What I'd tell you, and you can tell Thomas, is that in Spain, there's no racism.

"Just like that, crystal clear. Just like in England, there's no racism in Spain. We aren't racist, any of us."