Eric García ruled out of Spain's starting lineup just before España-England clash at Wembley

There were just minutes to go before kickoff at Wembley and Spain's starting lineup already needed a change. Eric García had been announced as the starting defender to face England on matchday one of the 2026/2027 UEFA Nations League, but an unexpected problem during warmups ruled him out before the game even began.

The Barcelona defender felt discomfort during the pregame warmup and the medical staff decided not to take any chances. The Spanish soccer federation reported that the issue was located in his left knee, which is why the last minute change was made. Marc Pubill came in for him, going from the bench to the starting eleven within a matter of minutes.

It's a situation that throws off any coach: having the lineup set all week only to have to shuffle a piece right as the team is about to step onto the field. For Pubill, though, the news meant an unexpected start, and at Wembley, no less.

A heavyweight matchup in Group A3

Beyond the injury scare, the match carried plenty of intrigue on its own. England and Spain share Group A3 along with Croatia and the Czech Republic, and this was a rematch between the two national teams that met in the last European Championship final. On home turf, England wanted to start this Nations League campaign strong against the reigning world champions, a tournament in which England had finished in third place.

The match was available live on Disney+ Premium Plan in South America, and it carried that special edge that comes with a rematch between two teams that already had sparks fly in a major final. Eric García's last minute injury ended up being, right off the bat, the most talked about story before the ball even started rolling.