Why are England playing Andorra in Spain? Reason behind different stadium
Ben Fleming
England resume their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a trip to face Andorra – so why have the Three Lions ended up playing in Barcelona?
After two routine wins in Thomas Tuchel’s first international break in charge, England sit top of Group K and in a very comfortable position.
And England will be expecting to make it three from three in World Cup qualifying when they face 173rd-ranked Andorra on Saturday night.
Alvarez Koldo’s side lost both of their opening World Cup qualifying matches and have won just one match – a 2-0 victory over San Marino last November – since the start of 2023.
And while many fans would relish a trip to face the European minnows in their homeland, Saturday’s fixture will instead be played south of Andorra’s border in Barcelona.
Here’s why.
Why are England playing Andorra in Spain?
Spain v England - UEFA Women's Nations League 2024/25 Grp A3 MD6
The RCDE Stadium will play host to England’s game versus Andorra (Picture: Getty)
The Estadi Nacional, Andorra’s national stadium, normally hosts the country’s national team matches but is unavailable having recently hosted the Games of the Small States of Europe.
The country has built another stadium but it did not meet Uefa deadlines to host this match meaning the game had to be played abroad.
Saturday’s match will instead take place at the RCDE Stadium, which is the home of La Liga side Espanyol.
Espanyol said: ‘The Andorran Football Federation chose the RCDE Stadium as the venue due to its modern facilities and organisational capacity.’
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