England v Spain LIVE: Euro 2024 final line-ups and build-up as Southgate eyes history

In Luis de la Fuente’s first international break with Spain back in March 2023, he stopped a training session at moments that the players didn’t expect. It’s an approach that has become familiar now, but was odd for the squad at the time.

One intervention was for goalkeeper Unai Simon to kick it long. Another was to work on set pieces, since De la Fuente’s predecessor Luis Enrique had insisted he “didn’t have time”. These are rudimentarily pragmatic elements that seem to run against Spain’s ideological purism, the pressing-possession that has dominated the game for 16 years, but that was part of the point.

By contrast, Enrique gave long instructional talks with a giant screen after sessions, which began to contribute to a sense of detachment and drift. This was the great frustration with his regime. It had seemed like a vibrant new era with a new generation, but ended up falling to all of the same old flaws Spain have suffered since 2012.

Southgate, you’re the one. The one manager in England’s century and a half of playing international football to take them to two finals. The only one to reach a final on foreign soil. The one who, if Spain are beaten in Berlin on Sunday, will have a claim to dislodge Sir Alf Ramsey from the top of the list of England managers.

Win Euro 2024 and it will complete an eight-year journey for Gareth Southgate; one of largely smooth, and sometimes unexpected, progress over the first five years, but a rockier ride during the last three, when there have been questions if the manager who took England forwards has then taken them back again.

Slovakia could have been his Iceland, almost bringing England back to 2016. Southgate’s reign has felt in endgame every game; because of some of the hostility from outside, because of his restlessness, because of the pressure he has put on himself. He has remained the FA’s ideal manager, but with the possibility he could sack himself.

The BBC and ITV will both broadcast the Euro 2024 final live, and the BBC is set to enjoy a significantly larger share of the viewing figures. Three years ago, a peak of 31 million people tuned into the Euro 2020 final, which England lost to Italy on penalties.

But which channel should fans tune into this time?

Over on the ITV side of things Mark Pougatch brings a calmness as the main presenter but it is the trio alongside him that make the show with Gary Neville’s articulate analysis is placed very deliberately between the child-like joy of Ian Wright and the furrowed brow of a deeply unimpressed Roy Keane. On top of that Christina Unkel has been a smart addition in the VAR room, speaking with clarity on the rules of the game, even when she doesn’t like them.

For the BBC, Kelly Somers helms pitchside coverage well with Gary Lineker the ever-present in the studio. He’ll be joined by Rio Ferdinand and Juan Mata this evening but all three will be at the match this time while Guy Mowbray, one of the best lead commentators, is joined by Alan Shearer during the match.

In terms of commentary, ITV’s coverage will be lead by Sam Matterface who will be joined by Lee Dixon and hopefully the great Ally McCoist.

Perhaps the answer is a blend of the two: ITV for the pre-match build-up, BBC for the in-game experience. The polls are predicting a landslide, but this time ITV will back itself – with good reason – to at least sweep up more than the 19 per cent of audience share that it won in the last men’s Euros final.

Spain v England will kick off at 8pm BST on Sunday at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany.

The match will be shown live on both BBC One and ITV 1, with viewers having their choice of pundits, commentators and broadcaster and will also be streamed live via the BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and apps, and ITVX’s website and app.

The BBC coverage on its main channel is scheduled to start at 7pm BST, an hour before kick off, while ITV’s offering will start half an hour earlier at 6.30pm BST.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

There was a delightedly simple statement from Gareth Southgate, having got over so many complications and questions. “I am a proud Englishman.” That is why he took the job in the first place but it obviously had a greater feeling after delivering the national team to a second final in three years and just a third in history. It also has a greater meaning.

In the elated aftermath of his side’s 2-1 semi-final victory over the Netherlands, Southgate enthused about traditional continental qualities like an England team that “had 60 per cent of the ball against the Netherlands”, to go with so many modern sports science approaches that have fired this team so far. There was also something quintessentially English about this, though.

The showpiece game of this summer’s tournament will take place in Berlin, in the city’s Olympic stadium – the aptly named Olympiastadion.

Though the Allianz in Munich and the BVB Stadion in Dortmund are perhaps the two most well-known stadiums in the country, the venue was chosen for the final and several other games at Euro 2024.

The stadium, which seats around 75,000 spectators, has hosted every German Cup final since 1985, and hosted the (in)famous 2006 World Cup final, where Italy won on penalties after Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt.

It is currently used by 2. Bundesliga side Hertha BSC.

Tonight will be the 28th meeting between these two sides, with fixtures dating as far back as 1929. The Three Lions have won 14 previous meetings, losing 10 and drawing three.

The two sides last met in the Nations League in 2018. Spain won 2-1 at Wembley in September of that year, while England won the return fixture 3-2 in Seville courtesy of goals from Raheem Sterling (2) and Marcus Rashford. Only seven players from the squad that day are invilved at Euro 2024 – Kane, Pickford, Gomez, Trippier, Walker, Alexander-Arnold and Lewis Dunk.

England have met La Roja on six occasions in international tournaments. The first game came at the 1950 World Cup, when Walter Winterbottom’s side were beaten 1-0 in the group stage.

In 1968 the two sides met again at a tournament, this time at the quarter-final stage of Euro 1968, where England won 3-1 over two legs to secure progression to the finals tournament in Italy a month later.

The two sides also drew 0-0 at the group stage of the 1982 World Cup, and two years before that England had beaten Spain 2-1 at the group stage of Euro 1980.

The most recent match was at the quarter-final stage of Euro ’96, where the Three Lions progressed on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

If Lamine Yamal already stands out for his speed, consider the evolution of his career. It was as recently as May 2022 when word started to get around the wider game that Barcelona had another one. When one of the scouts that discovered Andres Iniesta was asked by senior football figures about whispers that the club had “one very special player”, the response was instantaneous. “Lamine Yamal.” There usually tends to be a relatively long build-up from that, as hype builds for a few seasons. Not here.

Brad Ferwin, 35, who is watching the match at a BBQ in the back garden of a friend in south London after arriving back from Germany after the Switzerland game, predicted a resounding 3-1 victory for England.

The teacher said: “This team is still young but has an exciting depth. Despite their age they have total professionalism, not a dentist chair in sight.

“We have such potential when it all clicks. But my favourite thing? We can now score penalties!

“Of course Gareth deserves to take us to the World Cup. He just needs an assistant manager to introduce more flair and a more attacking style of football to the team. Then we’ll win it probably.”

In a last-minute message to the Three Lions, the 5-a-side legend offered sage advice: “Nows your time. It’s best to shoot sooner than later.”