England lose Palmer, Rice and three more for Spain opener
England will face Spain without Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento after all five withdrew injured from Thomas Tuchel's squad.
The Football Association confirmed the update at 1.30pm on Monday 21 September. Tuchel has called up Everton's James Garner and Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White as replacements, according to The Guardian.
That is five starters' worth of absence. Garner and Gibbs-White will report to St. George's Park on Tuesday with the rest of the group.
England are back in Nations League Group A, the top tier of UEFA's national-team competition played between major tournaments. They open at home to Spain at Wembley on Saturday 26 September at 7.45pm, then travel to Czechia in Prague on 29 September and Croatia in Rijeka on 3 October before hosting Czechia again at Wembley on 6 October, according to England Football.
Palmer's absence hurts. The Chelsea forward pulled out with a minor muscle issue. He has made only three appearances under Tuchel and was left out of England's World Cup squad after his form dipped last season. He has started this season sharply, with four goals and two assists in all competitions for Chelsea.
Rice has been ever-present for Arsenal. He has started all of their Premier League games so far plus the Champions League opener against Napoli. Mainoo and Rashford both flagged problems after Manchester United's trip to Fulham on Sunday 20 September, with Mainoo taken off after 80 minutes and Rashford substituted in the 77th minute.
Livramento's story is the most frustrating. He missed Newcastle's win over Hull on Saturday 19 September after a set-back in training and was not in the matchday squad. He had already missed the World Cup after suffering a calf injury in training on the eve of the tournament which required surgery.
Garner and Gibbs-White are familiar to Tuchel. Garner, legacy number 1299, won his first two senior caps in March 2026. Gibbs-White, legacy number 1283, has six senior appearances since making his debut against Ireland in September 2024. Neither has scored yet for the senior team.
For fans, this means a different-looking England. Spain at a full Wembley is still a proper test. It now becomes a chance to see who steps forward when the big names fall away.
