Match preview for Bulgaria v Spain
European champions Spain will begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a visit to Sofia to take on Bulgaria.
These two nations are in Group E, along with Turkey and Georgia. The group winner will automatically qualify for the tournament, while the second-place team will enter the qualifying play-offs.
Bulgaria are coming off a disappointing Nations League campaign where they failed to secure promotion to League B after losing to the Republic of Ireland in the play-offs.
Their two recent friendly matches in June also resulted in an uninspiring 2-2 draw with Cyprus and a 4-0 defeat to Greece.
As the lowest-ranked team in their group, Bulgaria face a difficult task to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
Their historical record against Spain is also unfavourable, with four losses and a draw in their last five meetings.
Spain, fresh off their European Championship triumph, are looking to bounce back from a loss in the Nations League final against Portugal.
Under the guidance of Luis de la Fuente, the team has been a formidable force, especially on the road, having not lost an away match since March 2023.
Team news for Bulgaria v Spain
Bulgaria’s manager, Ilian Iliev, is expected to field a back five to counter Spain’s potent attack. Dimitar Mitov is likely to start in goal, with a defensive line that may include Nikolay Minkov, Kristian Dimitrov, Aleks Petkov, Anton Nedyalkov, and Fabian Nurnberger.
Up front, Aleksandar Kolev could be chosen over Vladimir Nikolov.
For Spain, manager Luis de la Fuente has had to make changes to his squad due to injuries to Gavi, Fabian Ruiz, and Yeremy Pino.
Aleix Garcia and Jorge de Frutos have been called up as replacements. Lamine Yamal, who has been in excellent form for Barcelona, will be looking to continue his strong performances on the international stage.
Ferran Torres, who is one appearance away from his 50th cap, could feature off the bench.
Expected line-ups for Bulgaria v Spain
Bulgaria: Mitov; Minkov, Dimitrov, Petkov, Nedyalkov, Nurnberger; Despodov, Shopov, Gruev, Milanov; Kolev
Spain: Simon; Porro, Le Normand, Huijsen, Cucurella; Pedri, Zubimendi, Olmo; Yamal, Williams, Oyarzabal
How to watch Bulgaria v Spain: TV channel, online stream
The match will kick-off at 7:45pm on Thursday and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
The stats for Bulgaria v Spain
- Bulgaria have struggled against Spain, with their last victory against them being in 2002
- In their last five meetings, Spain have won four and drawn one
- Bulgaria’s recent form is concerning, with a record of one win, two draws, and three losses in their last six matches
- Spain’s form is much stronger, with a record of four wins, one draw, and one loss in their last six matches
Prediction
Given the significant difference in quality between the two squads, it is highly likely that Spain will dominate this match.
The European champions possess world-class talent across the field and should have no trouble securing all three points in Sofia.
Prediction: Bulgaria 0-3 Spain
