Spain secured its qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, by drawing 2-2 with Turkey on Tuesday evening in the last match of their campaign in Group 5.
Spain took the lead early with a goal from Dani Olmo in the 4th minute at the La Cartuja stadium in Seville. However, Turkey responded with two goals from Deniz Çöl and Salih Özcan in the 42nd and 54th minutes. Spain equalized through Mikel Oyarzabal in the 62nd minute.
This draw ended Spain's run of five consecutive wins but kept them at the top of the group with 16 points, securing qualification for the World Cup for the seventeenth time in their history. Turkey remained second with 13 points and will compete in the European playoff tournament involving 12 teams—the second-placed teams from the qualification groups and four teams that qualified based on their Nations League performance.
In another match at the same time, Bulgaria defeated Georgia 2-1, registering their first win in the qualification rounds. Georgi Roussev and Filip Krastev scored Bulgaria's goals in the 10th and 24th minutes, while Georgia's Luka Lokuashvili scored in the 88th minute. Both teams are now level at 3 points, but Georgia holds third place due to a superior goal difference.
