Report, result, goals in international friendly ahead of 2026 World Cup as Maguire rues ‘really soft’ penalty against White

Ben White put England ahead and conceded the decisive penalty as the Three Lions shared an uneventful draw with Uruguay at Wembley Stadium in a friendly preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

White, whose England career had been on hold after the Arsenal full-back left a camp following a disagreement with then-assistant manager Steve Holland in 2021, prodded in from close range with nine minutes remaining, the goal confirmed after a Video Assistant Referee check.

VALVERDE EQUALIZES IN STOPPAGE TIME! 🇺🇾

Ben White deemed to have fouled Federico Vinas after a VAR check by the referee 😲 pic.twitter.com/LS8R6M12Hd

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 27, 2026

Another review ended in White being adjudged to have impeded Federico Vinas inside the home penalty area during second-half added time, allowing Federico Valverde to emphatically convert the 94th-minute equaliser.

England are next in action against Japan in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday (19:45 BST). Uruguay meet Algeria in Turin on the same day (19:30).

It had to be Ben White ⚽️

England take the lead v Uruguay 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇾@England | @ben6white pic.twitter.com/vZENV2tiMy

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 27, 2026

Analysis: England produce forgettable World Cup warm-up

The first moment of note arguably came early in the second half, when Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo scythed down England midfielder Phil Foden.

“You don’t see tackles like that and not get red cards,” England defender Harry Maguire told ITV Football.

“It was a bit crazy [for Ben White]… he was brilliant when he came on. It’s a really soft penalty. He’s been really good all week.”

SO CLOSE! 😲

Dominic Calvert-Lewin spurns a great chance to put England ahead v Uruguay 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿@England pic.twitter.com/qoWIhs6rIF

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 27, 2026

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said England coach Thomas Tuchel was “absolutely raging” about the challenge on Foden.

“Araujo arrived very, very late and he caught Foden,” Robinson told BBC Sport. “He’s gone through him.”

Foden returned to the pitch but was one of numerous England players to have quiet games. “There are positives that Tuchel can take,” said Robinson.

“That’s a leg-breaker! 😱

Thomas Tuchel was furious Ronald Araujo wasn’t shown a red card for a tackle on Phil Foden 🟥@England pic.twitter.com/wCGSXeIzKp

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 27, 2026

“[Marcus] Rashford – in flashes down the left-hand side – showed some good attacking intent. You can see that [Dominic] Solanke has worked very, very hard and has tried to get his shots away.

“Defensively, England haven’t been troubled. [Goalkeeper James] Trafford has had nothing to do. We haven’t learned anything that we didn’t know before this game.”

England team vs Uruguay

There were some surprises in the England starting line-up, which was captained by Jordan Henderson.

James Trafford started in goal in place of Jordan Pickford, whose Everton team-mate James Garner won his first cap in midfield.

Djed Spence and Tino Livramento got the nod in the full-back spots, with both able to play right and left-back.

Livramento’s Newcastle team-mate Lewis Hall was on the bench, suggesting he would likely start against Japan.

Maguire and Fiyako Tomori were the centre-backs, with John Stones reported to have been dealing with a calf issue.

Perhaps the greatest surprise was the inclusion of Solanke up front ahead of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has enjoyed a fine season for Leeds United. Solanke has often struggled for relegation-threatened Tottenham.

England starting XI: James Trafford; Djed Spence, Harry Maguire, Fikayo Tomori, Tino Livramento; Jordan Henderson, James Garner; Noni Madueke, Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford; Dominic Solanke

England substitutes: Jordan Pickford, Lewis Hall, Adam Wharton, John Stones, Cole Palmer, Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Kobbie Mainoo, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Harvey Barnes, Jarrod Bowen, Jason Steele

Uruguay team vs England

Uruguay starting XI: Fernando Muslera; Guillermo Varela, Ronald Araujo, Mathias Olivera, Joaquin Piquerez; Manuel Ugarte, Federico Valverde, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Agustin Canobbio, Maximiliano Araujo, Rodrigo Aguirre

Uruguay substitutes: Sergio Rochet, Juan Manuel Sanabria, Santiago Mele, Nicolas De La Cruz, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Facundo Torres, Jose Maria Gimenez, Brian Rodriguez, Sebastian Caceres, Facundo Pellistri, Matias Vina, Federico Vinas, Emiliano Martinez, Darwin Nunez, Nicolas Fonseca.

England vs Uruguay stats

• This was the first meeting between England and Uruguay since the 2014 World Cup, when the Three Lions were beaten 2-1 and knocked out of the tournament under manager Roy Hodgson
• Two of the four previous games between England and Uruguay at Wembley had ended 0-0, with those goalless games at the 1966 World Cup and in a 1995 friendly
• Uruguay are one of only three nations England have drawn more than one game 0-0 against at Wembley, along with Wales (3) and Sweden (2)
• England have won two of their last 12 matches against South American nations (D6 L4), beating Brazil in February 2013 and Peru in May 2014. They’re winless in six since that Peru win (D3 L2)
• Uruguay lost their previous match, suffering a 5-1 defeat to the USA. They haven’t lost consecutive games since losing four in a row in October/November 2021 in their final four games under Oscar Tabarez
• Uruguay boss Bielsa managed his third game against England – he drew 0-0 at Wembley in February 2000 and lost 1-0 at the 2002 World Cup as Argentina boss. This game was 26 years and 32 days since his last game at Wembley, a record for a manager in games versus England – Bernd Stange had the previous record (25 years and 32 days, Sept 1984 with East Germany – Oct 2009 with Belarus)

World Cup 2026: Who will England and Uruguay face?

Here are the sides’ initial scheduled World Cup fixtures. England are in Group L, with Germany in Group H.

Kick-off times with an asterisk start the following day.