Spain launch their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Bulgaria on Thursday, September 4 at 7.45pm. The reigning European champions’ quest to regain the biggest prize of all begins at Stadion Vasil Levski in Sofia. The match will be streamed on Prime Video UK.
Lamine Yamal to score first (15/4 with Bet365)
The wonderkid has already achieved so much at the tender age of just 18. The forward has found the net in two of Spain’s last three outings, while he also opened his La Liga account for the season in Barcelona’s 3-0 win at Mallorca on the opening weekend.
Lamal is expected to line up in an attacking position for Spain and should see plenty of the ball against a Bulgaria side that aren’t expected to cause the visiting team much trouble.
Spain to win by two or more goals (3/1 with Bet365)
The reigning European champions may have lost out in the Nations League final on penalties, but they remain unbeaten after 90 minutes in each of their last 20 matches. La Roja have also found the net at least twice in each of their seven most recent outings, and will fancy continuing in that vein against a struggling Bulgaria, who have lost three of their last four games.
This should be dominant performance from Spain and we expect them to pick up a comfortable win to kickstart their campaign.
How both teams go into Bulgaria vs Spain
Bulgaria have not qualified for a major tournament since Euro 2004, while you must go back a further six years for their last participation at the World Cup.
The Lions appeared to be on an upward curve when they finished second in Nations League Group C3, but missed out on the chance of promotion following defeat by the Republic of Ireland.
Their last international squad had scored a combined total of just 11 goals, though they are stubborn on home soil – losing just one of their last six such matches.
Spain will be looking to double up next year by following their Euro 2024 success with World Cup glory, just like their golden generation did in 2010.
Yet, their general tournament record is pretty modest. In fact, their 2010 triumph represents the only time in their last five appearances that they have progressed beyond the last 16 – suffering back-to-back penalty shootout defeats at that stage.
Penalties were also their enemy against Portugal in the Nations League final, denying them successive titles, while they are without a clean sheet in six attempts. Nevertheless, you would expect them not to slip up here, and kickstart their qualifying campaign in commanding fashion.
Bulgaria team news
Illian Iliev will have captain Kiril Despodov available after he withdrew from the squad to face the Republic of Ireland in March. Defender Zhivko Atanasov is available after suspension, whilst Kristian Dimitrov has been recalled after recovering from injury.
Spain team news
Given their success of recent times, Luis de la Fuente hasn’t made too many alterations to his Spain squad from the Nations League. Although, there is a welcome recall for Rodri following his recent return from injury, while Yamal, Nico Williams and Alvaro Morata are likely to lead their charge up front once more.
Bulgaria vs Spain head-to-head
Spain have never lost in any of their five previous meetings with Bulgaria, winning four, though there haven’t been many recent matches between the two nations with the last contest coming over 20 years ago in 2002.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 20/11/2002 | Spain 1-0 Bulgaria | Friendly |
| 24/06/1998 | Spain 6-1 Bulgaria | World Cup |
| 09/06/1996 | Spain 1-1 Bulgaria | European Championship |
| 18/12/1985 | Spain 2-0 Bulgaria | Friendly |
| 21/05/1933 | Spain 13-0 Bulgaria | Friendly |