England have won each of their last seven meetings with Wales, most recently prevailing 3-0 at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium during the 2022 World Cup; Marcus Rashford scoring twice in Al-Rayyan.
The Dragons last victory over the Three Lions came during the last-ever staging of the British Home Championship, a 1-0 win at the Racecourse in 1984, while their only win on English soil in 89 years came in 1977.
England vs Wales preview
England are already beginning to plan for next summer's World Cup while for Wales, being in North America next summer is still a dream, but who will win this sold out friendly at Wembley on Thursday?
Last time out, Thomas Tuchel's team took a huge step towards next summer's tournament. Billed as their toughest test under Tuchel to date, the Three Lions absolutely demolished Serbia 5-0 at Stadion Rajko Mitić last month; Harry Kane, Noni Madueke, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guéhi and Marcus Rashford all scoring at the Marakana in Belgrade. This means England have won five out of five in World Cup qualification, scoring 13 goals and conceding none at all.
With a trip to Latvia to come on Tuesday, if other results go their way, they could rubber stamp top spot in Group K with two games to spare. Thus, in what will be only Tuchel's seventh match in charge, it is all about experimentation and fine-tuning. His sole friendly to date did not go particularly well, with England comprehensively beaten 3-1 by Senegal at the City Ground in Nottingham in June. This time, in front of an expectant Wembley crowd, will they be too strong for their neighbours?
As already mentioned, England and Wales faced each-other in Qatar, and the pair could yet meet at next summer's World Cup too. That's because Craig Bellamy's side are very much in with a shout of being there. The Dragons have accumulated ten points from five qualifiers to date, their sole defeat a 4-3 thriller in Brussels during the summer. Last month, Kieffer Moore was the only scorer as Wales battled to a very hard-fought 1-0 victory over Kazakhstan in Astana.
Thus, the Dragons are in a three-way fight for first place in Group J alongside Belgium and North Macedonia, both of whom still have to visit Cardiff, hosting the Red Devils in a massive, must win clash on Monday. Even if they fail to top the section, the Dragons are guaranteed a play-off spot, by virtue of gaining promotion to Nations League A last November. Thus, there is plenty of excitement among the Red Wall, with huge games to come, but can they beat England at Wembley first?
England vs Wales head-to-head record
- Matches Played: 104.
- England Wins: 69. Draws: 21. Wales Wins: 14.
England team news
Thomas Tuchel is without the injured Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke, while Kyle Walker, Jude Bellingham, Adam Wharton, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden are among numerous players who did not receive a call-up.
Dean Henderson could win just his fourth cap in goal, having started the last friendly in June.
Elsewhere, assuming Tuchel does rotate more than he did against Senegal, Ruben Loftus-Cheek could win his first cap since November 2018, while Jarell Quansah and Nico O'Reilly are both hoping to make their senior international debuts. Myles Lewis-Skelly is yet to start a Premier League match for Arsenal this season, but is set to continue as the first-choice left-back.
England predicted lineup vs Wales: (4-3-3): Henderson; Spence, Konsa, Burn, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Anderson, Bowen, Gibbs-White, Rashford, Watkins.
England player to watch vs Wales
Marcus Rashford converted a penalty against Serbia last month, while his only brace for England came against Wales at the World Cup three years ago. Having registered either a goal or an assist during each of his last seven appearances for Barcelona, on target in Seville on Sunday, can he carry his form onto the international stage?
Wales team news
With Belgium's crucial visit to Cardiff on Monday looming large, expect Craig Bellamy to rotate, as he did for Wales' last game, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Canada in Swansea in September.
Firstly, there's no Danny Ward, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Connor Roberts, Dan James nor Rabbi Matondo, while Aaron Ramsey has withdrawn due to injury.
19 year old centre-back Dylan Lawlor was thrown in for his international debut against Kazakhstan and was excellent. Ronan Kpakio and Joel Colwill then made their senior debuts against Canada a few days later, so will see this as an opportunity to gain invaluable expirence.
Karl Darlow is the first-choice goalkeeper these days while, given that he's on 98 caps, if Ben Davies features in both fixtures this week, he'll become only the fourth Welshman to reach 100, after Gareth Bale, Chris Gunter and Wayne Hennessey.
Wales predicted lineup vs England: (4-3-3): Darlow; N Williams, Cabango, Lawlor, Davies; Sheehan, J James, R Colwill, Wilson, Thomas; Moore.
Wales player to watch vs England
Harry Wilson scored against both Liechtenstein and Belgium in June, taking his tally to 14 international goals, so could he be the Welsh hero in London?
England vs Wales prediction
As this is a friendly, don't expect thrill a minute excitement, but we are backing England for victory, likely to have too much quality for a distracted Wales side at Wembley: England 2-0 Wales.
England vs Wales FAQs - International Friendly
How to watch England vs Wales in an international friendly on TV channel?
England vs Wales in an international friendly will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: ITV1 & S4C
- USA: Fox Sports 2 & fuboTV
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch England vs Wales in an international friendly on live streaming?
England vs Wales in an international friendly will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: ITVX
- USA: Foxsports.com & fuboTV
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for England vs Wales in an international friendly?
England vs Wales takes place on Thursday 9 October 2025, with kick off at 19:45 (BST), 14:45 (EDT) & 11:45 (PDT).