The Bulgaria vs Spain clash is going to be a thrilling way of kicking off the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Group E in the UEFA bracket, pitting two very different philosophies against one another when these two teams clash on Thursday, September 4.
This should end up being a dramatic and pretty entertaining match because of the approach of the two teams. Spain are eager to kick off their World Cup qualification campaign in a perfect note, as they are also aiming to recover from their loss to Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final in June 2025.
Bulgaria are ranked more than 80 places above Spain and are definitely the underdogs of this clash, but that can give them a kind of freedom to take the fight to La Roja. For the Bulgarian side, it’ll be a case of maintaining a solid defensive shape and then look to hurt the Spanish players on counterattacks to come up with a positive result.
Now we look at some key factors to consider ahead of this intriguing Bulgaria vs Spain clash in the World Cup qualifiers.
Can Lamine Yamal Bring His Wonderful Form to World Cup Qualifiers?
Lamine Yamal has had a bright start to the 2025/26 La Liga season with Barcelona and appears to be thriving with the No.10 shirt at his helm. After producing some really eye-catching performances in the pre-season campaign, the 18-year-old once-in-a-generation talent has been a menacing threat for defenders in the La Liga games so far this season.
Yamal has already managed four goal contributions (two goals, two assists) in just three La Liga matches at the beginning of the 2025/26 season. Now it’s a case of determining whether he can bring that kind of form to the World Cup qualifiers for La Roja.
Yamal has already enjoyed a prolific international career, winning the Euro 2024 title with Spain, but he is now determined to play in the FIFA World Cup.
The Spaniard, who has 15 goal contributions (six goals, nine assists) in 21 games for Spain, will be eager to continue his good form.
But with the Bulgarian defenders set to tightly mark him and potentially harass him with physical tackles, it remains to be seen if Yamal can get past the adversity to be a menacing figure to the defenders and clinical with his final product against Bulgaria.
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Who Can Help End Bulgaria’s Worrying Winless Streak?
It will actually take a herculean task from Bulgaria to deal Spain their second straight loss in the international stages. That is because the Bulgarian national team are themselves on a five-match winless run, having been unable to win a single match in 2025 so far.
They will need inspiration from some of their ‘leaders’ to be able to survive the onslaught from La Roja and get a surprise win to kick off their World Cup qualifiers.
For Bulgaria, a lot of expectations will be weighing on the shoulders of their captain Kiril Despodov. The 28-year-old has had a pretty good start to the 2025/26 campaign with Greek giants PAOK, scoring a goal in two league games.
He managed 20 goal contributions (eight goals, 12 assists) in all competitions last season and has scored 15 goals for Bulgaria.
Despodov needs to be a chaotic figure in the wide areas for Bulgaria, making clever runs in through the empty spaces to disrupt the Spanish backline. He has to be perfect with his delivery or shooting to unnerve the Spanish side and inspire his side to a big result.
Probable Lineups for the Bulgaria vs Spain Clash
With both teams eager to win their first World Cup qualifier, both Bulgaria boss Illian Iliev and Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente will be eager to field strong starting lineups to enhance their chances of winning the game.
Here we look at the Bulgaria vs Spain predicted lineups:
Bulgaria predicted XI: Dimitar Mitov (GK), Nikolay Minkov, Kristian Dimitrov, Alex Petkov, Anton Nedyalkov, Georgi Milanov, Illia Gruev, Stanislav Shopov, Martin Minchev, Kiril Despodov, Aleksandar Kolev
Spain predicted XI: David Raya (GK), Dani Carvajal, Robin Le Normand, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella, Martin Zubimendi, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Mikel Oyarzabal
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Photo Players Images
Recording Date: 01.09.2025