European qualification for the 2026 World Cup starts today, and all eyes will be on Sofia as reigning European champions Spain begin their qualifying quest with a trip to Bulgaria. On paper, it looks like an easy victory for the Spanish, but in football, nothing is ever certain. Softfootball reports.
For Bulgaria, the challenge couldn’t be tougher. Ranked as the lowest team in Group E, their dream of reaching a first World Cup since 1998 already feels like a mountain to climb. The signs haven’t been encouraging either. After missing out on promotion in the Nations League play-off against Ireland earlier this year, they followed up with a winless June international window, drawing once and losing once.
The golden era of the 1990s, when Bulgaria shocked the world by finishing fourth at USA ‘94, feels like a distant memory. Under coach Ilian Iliev, they’ve yet to beat any side ranked inside the world’s top 70, and facing Spain is just about the toughest assignment they could ask for.
Spain, meanwhile, arrive in top form to match their status as European champions. They may have been denied a Nations League trophy after losing to Portugal earlier this summer, but that was their first competitive defeat since March 2023. This is a clear indicator that this team knows how to win.
In World Cup qualifying matches alone, they’ve lost just once across their last seven editions, with a staggering record of 51 wins and 14 draws. It would take something extraordinary for Bulgaria to hand them a back-to-back competitive loss for the first time since late 2022.
History, too, favours La Roja. Spain are unbeaten against Bulgaria, winning four and drawing one, and their biggest-ever international win came against the same opponents, a thumping 13-nil victory. While a repeat of that scoreline is unlikely, the gap in quality between the two sides is still pretty much clear.
Much will depend on the key men. For Bulgaria, Kiril Despodov is their shining light, with 15 international goals to his name, just one fewer than the rest of his teammates combined. He has a habit of striking first, with his last three goals all being openers. Spain, on the other hand, boasts Álvaro Morata, who completed a loan move from Turkish champions Galatasaray to Como in Italy this summer, has scored more than the entire Bulgaria squad put together. His 37 international goals include seven recent strikes, each one in a match Spain won by at least two goals.
Spain Football via its official X handle posted an exclusive video of the team’s arrival to Bulgaria ahead of its first-ever crucial World Cup qualifier match against the host, watch below:
Both teams are close to full strength, though Spain will miss Álex Baena through injury. which is expected not to be much of a problem, as the team boasts depth and attacking quality, La Roja are strong favourites to get off to a flying start. For Bulgaria, it’s about pride, resilience, and perhaps hoping for one of those magical nights where the underdog writes history.
