Spain begin their road to the 2026 World Cup with a trip to Sofia to face Bulgaria on Thursday.
Fresh from their Euro 2024 triumph, Luis de la Fuente's men will look to make a strong start in Group E, where they are favorites to finish top ahead of Turkey and Georgia.
Bulgaria have not reached a World Cup since 1998 and arrive low on confidence. They missed out on UEFA Nations League promotion after losing to Republic of Ireland and followed that with a heavy 4-0 defeat to Greece in June. Goals remain a problem for Ilian Iliev's side, but they will hope home support in Sofia can inspire a surprise result.
Spain, meanwhile, want to shake off the disappointment of losing the Nations League final on penalties to Portugal. La Roja are unbeaten in away qualifiers for more than two years, and with the likes of Lamine Yamal and Alvaro Morata in attack, they carry plenty of firepower.
History also favors Spain, who have won four of the past five meetings against Bulgaria. Anything other than three points for the European champions would be a major shock.
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Bulgaria vs. Spain lineups: Predicted starting XI, team news, rosters
Aberdeen's Dimitar Mitov is expected to start in goal, though Levski Sofia's Svetoslav Vutsov is also pushing for a chance. Coach Iliev is likely to set up with a five-man defense to try to contain Spain's attack. That could mean Nikolay Minkov, Kristian Dimitrov, Aleks Petkov, Anton Nedyalkov and Fabian Nurnberger all starting at the back.
Up front, Aleksandar Kolev may get the nod ahead of Vladimir Nikolov to lead the line. The hosts know goals will be hard to come by, but Kolev's physical presence could be important.
Bulgaria predicted lineup (5-4-1, right to left): Mitov (GK) — Minkov, Dimitrov, Petkov, Nedyalkov, Nurnberger — Minchev, Despodov, Shopov, Gruev — Milanov
Bulgaria full roster
Goalkeepers: Dimitar Mitov, Svetoslav Vutsov, Ivan Dyulgerov
Defenders: Anton Nedyalkov, Alex Petkov, Kristian Dimitrov, Zhivko Atanasov, Hristiyan Petrov, Rosen Bozhinov
Midfielders: Ilia Gruev, Georgi Milanov, Ivaylo Chochev, Vasil Panayotov, Martin Minchev, Fabian Nürnberger, Stanislav Shopov, Andrian Kraev, Nikolay Minkov Minkov, Emil Tsenov
Forwards: Radoslav Kirilov, Kiril Despodov, Aleksandar Kolev, Svetoslav Kovachev, Vladimir Nikolaev Nikolov, Lukas Petkov, Marin Petkov
Spain have been hit by injuries, with Gavi, Fabian Ruiz and Yeremy Pino all ruled out. De la Fuente has added Aleix Garcia from Bayer Leverkusen and Rayo Vallecano winger Jorge de Frutos to the squad as replacements.
Teen star Lamine Yamal is set to feature after a brilliant start to the season with Barcelona. He could line up alongside Alvaro Morata, while Ferran Torres is battling Mikel Oyarzabal for a starting spot. If Torres comes on, it will be his 50th cap for La Roja.
Spain predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Simon (GK) — Porro, Le Normand, Huijsen, Cucurella — Pedri, Zubimendi, Olmo — Lamine Yamal, Williams, Oyarzabal
Spain full roster
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, David Raya, Alex Remiro
Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen, Pedro Porro, Dani Vivian, Pau Cubarsi, Robin Le Normand, Alejandro Grimaldo, Marc Cucurella
Midfielders: Martin Zubimendi, Rodri, Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Mikel Merino, Aleix Garcia, Jorge de Frutos
Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Nico Williams, Mikel Oyarzabal, Alvaro Morata, Jesus Rodriguez
Bulgaria vs. Spain match details
- Date: Thursday, September 4, 2025
- Kickoff time: 9:45 p.m. local / 2: 45 p.m. ET / 11:45 a.m. PT/ 4:45 a.m. AEST (Sep. 5)
- Location: Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia (Bulgaria)
- Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers
- Referee: Srdan Jovanovic (Serbia)