The stage is set at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria, as Bulgaria prepares to host Spain in a crucial UEFA qualifier for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match is scheduled for Thursday, August 4th, with kickoff at 9:45 pm local time (18:45 GMT). Football fans can anticipate extensive pre-match coverage on Al Jazeera Sport starting at 6:45 pm (15:45 GMT), leading up to the live text commentary stream. This encounter marks the beginning of an intense 11-week, six-game sprint for European nations aiming to secure their place in the prestigious tournament, which will be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
This match is particularly significant as it represents the opening game of this qualifying stage for both Bulgaria, the host nation, and Spain, the 2010 World Cup champions. While other top-tier teams like Germany, Portugal, and France have yet to participate in World Cup qualifiers, their absence is due to their involvement in the later stages of the UEFA Nations League. Teams that advanced deep into the Nations League only join the World Cup qualifiers at a later juncture, a system implemented following the introduction of the Nations League in Europe.
Portugal, for instance, emerged victorious in the 2025 Nations League, defeating Spain 5-3 in a penalty shootout in the final held in June. Spain had previously triumphed over France in the semi-final, while Portugal overcame Germany. Consequently, the participants of these Nations League latter stages are now entering the World Cup qualifiers.
Beyond Bulgaria and Spain, Group E of the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers also includes Turkiye and Georgia, adding further intrigue to the competition. The qualifying format for Spain and other teams entering at this stage involves six groups of four teams, all commencing their World Cup qualifying campaigns now. Additionally, there are six groups comprising five teams each, which have already completed four qualifying matches.
The top teams from each group will secure direct qualification for the World Cup, while the second-placed teams will proceed to the playoffs for a chance to advance. In the four-team groups, two teams will be eliminated, while in the five-team groups, three teams will be eliminated.
Playing in the Nations League offered a significant benefit for World Cup qualification. The 12 runners-up from the current groups will be joined in the playoffs, scheduled for March, by the four best-placed sides from the Nations League groups that do not automatically qualify from this stage. This system provides a bonus opportunity for teams that may face challenges in the current groups. Remarkably, even San Marino, ranked 210th by FIFA, could potentially benefit from this system. Despite their current position at the bottom of Group H in the qualifiers with four defeats, they finished top of Group 1 in League D of their last Nations League campaign.
The 2026 World Cup playoffs will feature 16 European teams, seeded into four knockout brackets of four teams each. They will compete in single-game semi-finals and finals on March 26 and 31, respectively, to determine the four remaining World Cup slots.
The current qualifying format marks a significant change, with the smallest qualifying groups in UEFA since 1989. The addition of extra World Cup entries by FIFA and the expansion of the Nations League knockout stage by UEFA have reshaped the qualifying landscape. For the first time since November 1989, Europe has World Cup qualifying groups consisting of just four teams. High-ranking nations that previously competed in groups of five or six teams over 15 months now have a condensed program, playing two games in each of three consecutive months. This compressed schedule presents both opportunities and challenges. An injury to a key player could potentially derail a team’s entire qualifying campaign. For example, Germany will be without Jamal Musiala, who suffered a serious leg injury while playing for Bayern Munich at the Club World Cup in July.
Further changes are planned for next year. After the 2026 World Cup, FIFA’s schedule for men’s national-team games will consolidate the separate September and October breaks into a four-game block over back-to-back weekends.
The question arises: is Spain’s group the toughest? As European champions, Spain’s reward for defeating the Netherlands in the Nations League quarterfinal in March was to be placed in a four-team group alongside Turkiye and Georgia, two emerging forces from Euro 2024. Georgia, led by star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, was considered the most dangerous team among the third-seeded options in the draw last December. Georgia will host Turkiye on Thursday and travel to Spain on October 11.
However, the four-team group comprising Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, and Kosovo could be considered the most unpredictable. Switzerland reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 but must contend with some of Europe’s most expensive forwards, including Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko, now at Arsenal, and a Swedish attacking line featuring Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres, and Anthony Elanga, collectively signed for over $300 million by Liverpool, Arsenal, and Newcastle, respectively.
Historically, Bulgaria and Spain have met only five times, despite their encounters dating back to 1933. Spain has emerged victorious in four of those matches, while the other match ended in a 1-1 draw during the group stage of Euro 96 in England. In that game, legendary Bulgarian forward Hristo Stoichkov gave his side the lead from the penalty spot, but Alfonso Perez equalized for Spain.
Their first encounter resulted in a resounding 13-0 home win for Spain in a friendly match in May 1933. The most recent meeting between the two countries occurred over two decades ago, with Spain winning 1-0 in a friendly in 2002. Their last competitive match was at the France ’98 World Cup, where Spain triumphed 6-1.
Turning to team news, Bulgaria faces a conundrum in goal, with Aberdeen’s Dimitar Mitov and Levski Sofia’s Svetoslav Vutsov vying for the starting position. The home side is expected to employ a five-man defense to counter Spain’s attacking prowess.
Spain, on the other hand, will be without Barcelona’s Gavi, Paris Saint-Germain’s Fabian Ruiz, and Crystal Palace’s Yeremy Pino, all sidelined due to late injuries. Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Aleix Garcia and Rayo Vallecano forward Jorge de Frutos have been called up as replacements.
Based on available information, Bulgaria’s predicted starting lineup is as follows: Mitov; Minkov, Dimitrov, Petkov, Nedyalkov, Nurnberger; Despodov, Shopov, Gruev, Milanov.
Spain’s predicted starting lineup is: Simon; Porro, Le Normand, Huijsen, Cucurella; Pedri, Zubimendi, Olmo; Yamal, Williams, Oyarzabal.