Spain began their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying journey in style, cruising to a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria on Thursday night.
The reigning European champions made light work of their opponents at the Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia, striking three times in the opening half through Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella, and Mikel Merino.
Coach Luis de la Fuente used the comfortable advantage to reintroduce Manchester City’s Rodri Hernandez and Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal, both making their first Spain appearances in several months after recovering from long-term knee injuries.
Having lifted their only World Cup trophy in 2010, Spain are widely tipped to finish top of Group E, which also features Turkey and Georgia and secure direct qualification for the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The match was a rare encounter between the two sides, their first in more than two decades. Their last competitive meeting came at the 1998 World Cup, when Spain demolished Bulgaria 6-1.
While De la Fuente’s men threatened a repeat performance with a dominant first-half display, they were unable to maintain the same scoring rhythm after the break.
“We are incredibly demanding, (the players) most of all, they were disappointed with the second half,” said De la Fuente, reflecting on his team’s mindset.
Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi was instrumental early on, threading a fine pass to his former Real Sociedad teammate Oyarzabal, who calmly slotted home after just five minutes.
Bulgaria briefly came close to equalizing when Radoslav Kirilov struck the post, but Cucurella was on hand to double Spain’s lead shortly after, smashing in his first-ever international goal.
“It landed for me, I controlled it and then I hit it, I’m very happy to score my first for Spain,” said the Chelsea full-back.
Spain all but sealed the points before halftime when 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal whipped in a corner that Merino met with a powerful header.
The Barcelona winger continued to torment Bulgaria after the restart, though he couldn’t find the net himself.
Merino rattled the crossbar as Spain pressed for a fourth, before De la Fuente opted to rotate his squad.
Rodri and Carvajal were both welcomed back after absences of seven and nine months, while 20-year-old Como winger Jesus Rodriguez was handed his senior debut, replacing Yamal late on.
“We’re happy but we have to keep taking steps forward,” added De la Fuente. “(Turkey) will be a higher level game and more demanding… we have to look to be better every day.”
Spain now turn their attention to Sunday’s crucial clash in Turkey, who edged Georgia 3-2 in their opening qualifier.
