England Hosts Uruguay at Wembley in Final Friendly Tune-Up Before 2026 World Cup

London – England steps onto the hallowed Wembley turf on Friday night to face Uruguay in the first of two March friendlies, using the occasion to fine-tune plans ahead of this summer’s World Cup in North America. Thomas Tuchel’s side enter the contest on a scorching run of form, having won nine of the German’s ten matches since he took the reins at the start of 2025, and the Football Association hopes a vibrant crowd will provide the perfect send-off before the squad reconvenes for the global tournament.

Tuchel, tasked with ending a 60-year championship drought, has deliberately cast a wide selection net this week, calling up 35 players yet confirming that 11 will sit out the Uruguay meeting to manage workload. Among those rested is captain Harry Kane, joined on the absentee list by Dean Henderson, Dan Burn, Marc Guéhi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, Eliott Anderson, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka. Eberechi Eze and Jarell Quansah originally made the roster but withdrew injured; Harvey Barnes and Ben White stepped in as late replacements.

The anticipated starting XI therefore carries an experimental flavour. Jordan Pickford is set to continue in goal behind a back four of Tino Livramento, John Stones, Harry Maguire and Lewis Hall. Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo are poised to anchor midfield, while a flexible attacking band of Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford and Dominic Solanke will be asked to unlock a Uruguayan rearguard renowned for its resilience.

Marcelo Bielsa’s visitors arrive in the capital without several key figures. Rodrigo Bentancur remains sidelined with injury, Lucas Torreira has been omitted, and Nahitan Nández is unavailable after a positive coronavirus test. Darwin Núñez, recently starved of club minutes after being left out of Al Hilal’s Saudi Pro League squad, nonetheless leads the line, flanked by Facundo Pellistri and Maximiliano Rodríguez. Behind them, Federico Valverde—fresh from influential displays for Real Madrid—will orchestrate play, while Ronald Araujo and José María Giménez form a formidable central-defensive pairing.

The fixture marks the first meeting between the nations since the 2014 World Cup, when Luis Suárez’s brace condemned England to an early group-stage exit. Since then the Three Lions have transformed into one of the planet’s most prolific sides, sweeping through qualifying with maximum points and maximum goals. Uruguay, for their part, finished fourth in a ferocious CONMEBOL campaign that included victories over Brazil, Colombia and reigning world champions Argentina, though results have dipped of late.

Friday’s contest therefore offers contrasting objectives: England seek fluency and fitness, while Uruguay crave a statement performance to restore belief. With both coaches expected to rotate liberally ahead of further tune-ups—England travel to face Japan next Tuesday—the evening could hinge on which squad’s depth stars seize the moment.

Kick-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. local time, with live coverage on Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, ViX and affiliated platforms.

England predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Livramento, Stones, Maguire, Hall; Wharton, Mainoo; Madueke, Palmer, Rashford; Solanke.

Uruguay predicted lineup (4-3-3): Muslera; Varela, Araujo, Giménez, Viña; Valverde, Ugarte, De Arrascaeta; Rodríguez, Núñez, Pellistri.