Hungary vs England LIVE: Nations League team news, line-ups and more as Bowen and Justin make their debuts

England begin their Uefa Nations League campaign today as they take on Hungary in Group A3. Germany and Italy are the other teams in England’s group so Gareth Southgate will want to kick off the Three Lions’ run with a positive result this evening.

The game was originally supposed to be played behind closed doors but the Hungarian FA have allowed 30,000 schoolchildren in to witness the clash after the hosts exploited a loophole against their punishment for racist behaviour. England beat Hungary in their World Cup qualifier on the road but drew at Wembley in their most recent encounter.

Southgate could potentially hand debuts to James Justin and Jarrod Bowen as four Nations League games will be played in quick succession, meaning changes to line-ups and personnel are expected to be commonplace over the next two weeks. The England manager’s main priority will be to utilise these matches to finalise who will be in his squad for this year’s World Cup, making performances more valuable than results in some cases as players stake their individual cases for inclusion. He’ll also be hoping England can keep up their recent record of challenging for honours in whichever competition they are taking part in.

Follow all the action as Hungary host England in the Nations League:

Hungary vs England

England begin their Nations League campaign away to Hungary

Kick-off at 5pm BST

England XI: Pickford, Walker, Coady, Maguire, Alexander-Arnold, Bellingham, Rice, Justin, Bowen, Kane, Mount

Hungary vs England

16:56 , Michael Jones

Here come the teams. The noise is loud inside the Puskas Arena. Kids under 14-years of age are using vuvuzelas to make themselves heard and it’s working.

Southgate’s thoughts on the Nations League

16:54 , Michael Jones

“We are preparing for a World Cup, but we are also wanting to develop players and we are also wanting to do well in this competition and try to win it,” says the England boss.

“We work in the right way to get the best possible performance on the field.”

Story continues

Bowen’s domestic record

16:51 , Michael Jones

Jarrod Bowen is set to make his England debut against Hungary having become just the second player to register at least 10 goals and 10 assists in a Premier League season for West Ham (12 goals, 10 assists), after Paolo Di Canio in 1999-00 (16 goals, 13 assists).

(AFP via Getty Images)

Hungary vs England

16:48 , Michael Jones

England have named at least two West Ham players in their starting XI (Declan Rice & Jarrod Bowen vs Hungary today) for the first time since March 2010 vs Egypt (Matthew Upson & Robert Green).

England warming up

16:45 , Michael Jones

The warm-ups are done and dusted for England. The last time they played here they were met with a barrage of abuse both verbal and physical but rose above it to win the game 4-0.

Can they do so again tonight?

(Getty Images)

(REUTERS)

Pre-match thoughts from the boss

16:40 , Michael Jones

England boss Gareth Southgate, spoke to Channel 4 to give his thoughts before kick off saying: “It’s a very different type of atmosphere. These games can be so beneficial.

“You have got to test yourself against the best teams and we have three different types of tests coming up over the next two weeks.”

He also spoke about Jarrod Bowen and James Justin making their debuts adding: “They have got to do what they do every week for their clubs. You can’t put everyone in at once.”

Behind closed doors

16:35 , Michael Jones

In June 2021 Uefa ordered Hungary to play three games without fans and fined them £85,000 as a result of racist behaviour by their supporters during Euro 2020.

The Hungarian FA have found a loophole in the ruling which allows children to attend these games with an adult. That means around 30,000 school kids are expected in the stadium for tonight’s game.

Most have got horns and instruments to create an atmosphere so the match won’t feel like a closed-doors game.

Hungary to have 30,000 fans at ‘behind closed doors’ game with England

16:30 , Michael Jones

England’s Nations League fixture against Hungary will be played in front of a half-full stadium in Budapest – despite the hosts serving a stadium ban for racism offences.

The Three Lions travel to the Hungarian capital to open their Nations League campaign on Saturday evening.

Their last visit to the 67,000-seater Puskas Arena, a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win last September, was marred by racist chanting from home supporters – landing the Hungarian Football Federation a two-match stadium ban from Fifa.

Hungary to have 30,000 fans at ‘behind closed doors’ game with England

‘I feel free’: Harry Kane finally has clear head as summer of football begins

16:25 , Michael Jones

England captain Harry Kane has revealed he is coming into this summer of football with a clear mind, free from the distraction of his own future being undecided.

Kane is part of the Three Lions squad who play four Nations League games in 10 days, kicking off with a trip to Hungary on Saturday.

The 28-year-old is in buoyant mood having helped Tottenham gatecrash the top four and book Champions League football under Antonio Conte.

It is a far cry from last summer when he joined up with his country for the Euro 2020 campaign with his club future up in the air, having expressed his desire to leave Spurs.

‘I feel free’: Harry Kane finally has clear head as summer of football begins

Kane chasing Rooney’s record

16:20 , Michael Jones

Harry Kane is on 49 international goals, only four behind Wayne Rooney’s England record of 53. The Three Lions play four matches during this international period and it is likely that the captain will become England’s leading goalscorer.

“I’d love to break it as soon as possible,” he said of the record. “I’d like to score as many goals as possible in the next four games.

“It seems like a long time ago I made my debut. It’s still one of the best feelings, playing for England and pulling on the shirt. Back then it wasn’t a number I had in my head.

“It all goes so quickly with the games and major tournaments. It’s great to be nearer 50, although, still a few behind Wazza.”

England’s winning run

16:14 , Michael Jones

England are unbeaten in their last 22 games, winning 18 and only conceding six goals – their longest ever unbeaten streak.

On top of that, Hungary have not beaten England in the last 15 attempts, since the 1962 World Cup.

The hosts have been ordered to play games without crowds after repeated racist behaviour by their supporters but due to a Uefa regulation, children can go accompanied by an adult, so there may be 30,000 in attendance tonight.

‘These games are important’ says Kane

16:10 , Michael Jones

England captain, Harry Kane, say that these four Nations League matches are important for the squad as they are the only games the Three Lions will play before the World Cup opener against Iran on 23rd November.

Kane said: “It makes every training session and game important. There will be rotation in the squad and five subs in the games.

“Every time I step on the pitch I want to impress Gareth [Southgate] and there are only six games to the World Cup so not a lot of preparation time.”

England’s Nations League fixtures

16:04 , Michael Jones

After tonight’s opening affair in Budapest, Gareth Southgate’s men head off to Germany before back-to-back games at Molineux. Here’s England’s Nations League schedule:

Today at 17:00, vs Hungary, Puskas Arena, Budapest.

Tuesday, 7th June, vs Germany, 19:45, Allianz Arena, Munich.

Saturday 11th June, vs Italy*, 19:45, Molineux, Wolverhampton.

Tuesday, 14th June, vs Hungary, 19:45, Molineux, Wolverhampton.

*to be played behind closed doors.

Three Lions arrive at Puskas Arena

15:59 , Michael Jones

Kick off for England’s opening Nations League fixture is just over an hour away. The players have arrived at the Puskas Arena and Gareth Southgate has named his starting XI.

Jarrod Bowen and James Justin have been handed debuts, can the Three Lions get their campaign underway with a win?

(The FA via Getty Images)

England World Cup 2022 squad: Who’s on the plane, who’s in contention and who has work to do?

15:54 , Karl Matchett

England will be aiming to go one better than last year and win their first major international tournament in 56 years at the World Cup in Qatar.

Gareth Southgate’s side will play the United States, Iran and the winner of a play-off between Wales and Scotland in the group stages.

This month’s Nations League fixtures against Hungary, Germany and Italy will provide Southgate with a valuable opportunity to assess his options ahead of the tournament, which begins in November.

It is yet to be confirmed whether squad sizes will be expanded to 26 players – up from the usual 23, but in line with last summer’s European Championship.

Here, The Independent takes a look at who could be included in Southgate’s final selection…

England World Cup 2022 squad: Who’s on the plane and who has work to do?

Harry Kane feeling liberated as he hunts down Wayne Rooney’s England goal record

15:48 , Karl Matchett

The time when Harry Kane was simply a goalscorer was consigned to the past amid a series of defence-splitting passes. He came to look the footballing quarterback when he released Tottenham’s wide receiver Heung-Min Son with a series of inch-perfect passes. His sporting horizons have broadened. “I guess the ideal career would be a World Cup, a Super Bowl and maybe a Masters green jacket, if I am lucky to do that,” the England captain said. A year ago, the answer might have involved winning the Champions League under Pep Guardiola. Now it has changed.

If Kane has voiced an ambition to become a kicker in the NFL, the golfing aside was not said completely seriously. He flew over to Augusta for the last round at the Masters, the day after Tottenham’s win at Aston Villa. He spent Thursday watching the cricket on television, first heartened by England’s bowling, then disappointed by their batting. The country’s footballers were watched in training by Marcus Smith, the rugby union international, while Kane openly admits to having picked Tom Brady’s brains about keeping cool under pressure.

And yet, amid the sporting crossover, his defining feats relate to the trait that brought him to prominence: a capacity to put the ball in the back of the net. As Kane said: “My first thought is football.” And he might soon rank first for goals. He already has a World Cup Golden Boot. He could add England’s goalscoring record in the next two weeks. A player with eight goals in his last four games now has four matches to come, even if Hungary, Germany and Italy promise to be tougher opponents than Albania and San Marino, who permitted him seven goals in four productive November days.

Harry Kane feeling liberated as he hunts down Wayne Rooney’s England goal record

Fikayo Tomori primed for England chance after patience in Milan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic ‘team talks’

15:43 , Karl Matchett

Fikayo Tomori watched England’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy last summer in a hotel in Milan. He had spent most of the tournament back in London, cheering his international team-mates on for the quarter-final against Ukraine with friends at the Boxpark in Shoreditch. But he returned to the city that he now calls home a few days before the European Championship final.

“I remember when they scored, I just kind of had a face on and didn’t want to look too down, like we were going to lose,” he recalls. “Being there when they won, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”

Tomori walked out by the duomo, past Italians celebrating in the cathedral’s piazza. “I was right in the middle of it,” he says, “but I just got home as quickly as I could.”

Tomori has fully embraced Italian life and culture since joining Milan on loan from Chelsea last season and making enough of an impression to earn a £25m permanent move. His Italian is coming on well – “sometimes, in the changing rooms, I find myself thinking in Italian instead of English,” he admits – and he is known to have acquired a taste for sfogliatelle, a shell-shaped pastry with a sweet filling.

“I’m enjoying it and I’m really happy. I think that when I went abroad there was talk around English players doing this, but I’ve just tried to embrace it as much as I could,” he says. “One thing I found is that when I’m in Italy I’m not thinking ‘I wish I was in England’. I feel really comfortable there; I’m not in a rush to come home if I have a day off. I’m settled and relaxed about being in Italy.”

Fikayo Tomori ready for England after Milan glory and Zlatan Ibrahimovic influence

England Under-21s top Euros qualifying group after win in Czech Republic

15:39 , Karl Matchett

England Under-21s went top of their European Championship qualifying group after beating the Czech Republic 2-1 in Ceske Budejovice.

Emile Smith Rowe’s stunning opener and a second goal from Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey put the Young Lions in control before Czech substitute Daniel Fila’s superb late effort set up an anxious finale.

But Lee Carsley’s side held on without further scare and remain firmly on course for next summer’s finals in Georgia and Romania.

England, who have won six and drawn one of their first seven group fixtures, leapfrogged the Czech Republic into top spot in Group G, level on points and with two games in hand.

England Under-21s top Euros qualifying group after win in Czech Republic

England starting line-up

15:35 , Michael Jones

England XI: Pickford, Walker, Coady, Maguire, Alexander-Arnold, Bellingham, Rice, Justin, Bowen, Kane, Mount

Harry Kane consults rival players over World Cup protest against Qatar’s human rights record

15:34 , Karl Matchett

Harry Kane has consulted with players from other countries as he and the England team try to decide how they are going to highlight Qatar’s human rights record at the World Cup.

The 2022 hosts have been criticised for their treatment of migrant workers, women and the LGBTQ community with Amnesty International calling last month for Fifa to provide at least $440m (£350m) in compensation for migrant workers who have been wronged.

England players were given a briefing in March by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham about Qatar’s record of human rights abuses which vice-captain Jordan Henderson described as “shocking, disappointing and horrendous.”

And while Kane said they have not yet decided upon a course of action, he has conferred with members of other international teams. While he did not reveal who, one of his Tottenham team-mates is France’s World Cup-winning captain Hugo Lloris.

The England skipper said: “I have spoken to some of the other players around the team and a couple of the other players from some European countries. Once we have come to a conclusion on that we will let everyone know but it is still an ongoing conversation and nothing is set in stone.”

Harry Kane consults rival players over World Cup protest against Qatar human rights

Gareth Southgate’s ruthless streak offers new England faces both an opportunity and a warning

15:30 , Karl Matchett

Gareth Southgate has brought up his century. Go on alphabetical order and James Justin is the 100th player he has called up for England. Name defenders before attackers and Jarrod Bowen is.

Either way, he had picked 98 footballers in his squads after the March internationals. Then the Leicester full-back and the West Ham winger got maiden call-ups.

Each was a reward for fine form but also an example of Southgate’s ethos. He can be England’s polite revolutionary. He has brought change from the off, dropping Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart soon into his reign.

A more recent omission is the out-of-form Marcus Rashford, one of his regulars. Eric Dier was an early favourite and has enjoyed, in Harry Kane’s opinion, perhaps his best season for Tottenham this season. Southgate still preferred to go with younger options, in Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi and Ben White, even if injury means none will play in Budapest on Saturday.

Full report from Rich Jolly:

Southgate’s ruthlessness offers new England faces both an opportunity and a warning

Joe Cole backs West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen to shine for England

15:26 , Karl Matchett

Joe Cole has backed West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen to flourish in an England shirt.

The 25-year-old has shone for David Moyes’ Hammers this season and would have been called up by the Three Lions in March was it not for a foot injury.

Bowen scored 18 goals in all competitions and provided 13 more during a memorable campaign that is set for an unforgettable conclusion, having been included in the England squad for the first time.

Ex-West Ham star Cole is excited to see his debut in the upcoming Nations League fixtures and believes the former Hull man has the attributes to succeed at international level.

“For Jarrod Bowen and James Justin, I think it’s going to be a massive moment for them in their respective journeys,” he told the PA news agency.

“They’ve come a long way, Jarrod in particular. He’s come from Hull to West Ham and he’s been outstanding this year. He really, really deserves it.”

More here on the potential debutants:

Joe Cole backs West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen to shine for England

Nations League provides crucial test for England with Qatar World Cup on horizon

15:19 , Karl Matchett

England on Saturday start a mammoth international break, with a seemingly interminable four games, and yet the most important match will still be one they are not involved in.

Gareth Southgate’s squad will gather to watch Sunday’s play-off between Wales and Ukraine that decides the last place in their World Cup group. It will be welcome given the amount of down-time the players have over these two weeks, which is why it could also offer the opportunity to provide some education on the more problematic side of Qatar 2022.

It is fair to say that more than a few of them have been echoing Kevin De Bruyne’s comments asking why they have to face four matches at the end of such a long season. Some of that is because of the change to the calendar enforced by Qatar, but it also means that the World Cup – for all the charm of the Nations League – is what this break is really all about.

Its length represents that of a rugby-style international camp, so Southgate can properly work on what he wants, and any new ideas he might have.

Read Miguel Delaney’s full match preview here:

Nations League provides crucial test for England with Qatar World Cup on horizon