Who: Spain vs Turkiye
What: UEFA World Cup qualifier, Group E
Where: La Cartuja Stadium in Seville, Spain
When: Tuesday at 8:45pm (19:45 GMT)
Click here to follow our live coverage.
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Unbeaten Spain (5-0-0) is guaranteed direct qualification into the FIFA World Cup 2026 if they beat Turkiye in their last Group E fixture on Tuesday in Seville.
Armed with a three-point lead – and a huge goal difference – Luis de la Fuente’s side are in a highly advantageous position to clinch a 13th consecutive appearance at football’s global showpiece.
Turkiye (4-0-1), for their part, still have a mathematical chance to steal the top spot from Spain in their Matchday 10 finale – but they will need to rain down a plethora of goals on the reigning European champions to avoid the runners-up spot.
Here is all to know about their Group E return clash:
Current Group E standings (one fixture remaining):
Spain – 15 points (from five matches)
Turkiye – 12 points (from five matches)
Georgia – 3 points (from five matches)
Bulgaria – 0 points (from five matches)
How can Spain qualify for the World Cup?
Spain currently sits at the top of their Group E with five wins out of five fixtures and have a perfect record with 15 points.
Scenario 1:
A draw or a win in their final match against Turkiye would seal their spot at the 2026 World Cup with an insurmountable lead in the group.
Scenario 2:
A loss to Turkiye would mean both teams conclude the qualification period with 15 points from six matches – but with Spain having a vastly superior goal difference.
To finish first in Group E, Turkiye would have to pull off a stunning seven-goal victory away to Spain to pip La Roja for automatic World Cup qualification.
How can Turkiye qualify for the World Cup?
Turkiye sit in second position in Group E with 12 points – nine points clear of next-best Georgia.
Unless they can defeat Spain by seven goals, Turkiye will enter the UEFA playoff competition in March as the group runners-up.
Turkiye last took part in the World Cup finals in 2002, finishing a surprise third place in the tournament that was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.
What happened the last time Spain and Turkiye played?
Mikel Merino’s hat-trick helped Spain thrash hosts Turkiye 6-0 in their last World Cup qualifier on September 7.
The home side had no answer to Spain’s dominance, undone time and again by the visitors’ speed and finesse, with a helpless Turkish defence torn apart on every counterattack.
That loss remains Turkiye’s only defeat in Group E.
Will Lamine Yamal play for Spain?
Barcelona star forward Lamine Yamal will miss Spain’s final World Cup qualifier against Turkiye as he continues to manage an ongoing groin issue.
Yamal, 18, underwent a small procedure in Barcelona on November 10 to try and fix the problem. Doctors estimate his recovery time from the surgery at 7-10 days.
Head-to-head
Spain has never lost to Turkiye in the six international fixtures they have played since 2005.
Spain – won 5
Turkiye – won 0
Draws – 1
Form Guide:
Spain: W-W-W-W-W (UEFA World Cup qualifiers, most recent result last)
Turkiye: W-L-W-W-W (UEFA World Cup qualifiers, most recent result last)
Spain team news
In addition to Yamal’s unavailability, Spain heads into the Turkiye fixture without other key players Dani Carvajal, Pedri and Rodri.
Dean Huijsen is also questionable with a groin issue and is likely to be a game-time decision for De la Fuente.
Mikel Oyarzabal, who has scored eight goals in his last eight international appearances, will again be the No 1 choice to lead the line for Spain on Tuesday.
Turkiye team news
The Turkish Football Federation has officially ruled out Inter Milan midfield star Hakan Calhanoglu against Spain after he picked up a wrist injury during the previous international match against Bulgaria on Saturday.
Calhanoglu, who is the top goalscorer in Italy’s top-flight Serie A this season, will likely be replaced in an attacking midfield position by Isak Vural, who has been brought into the squad.
Head coach Vincenzo Montella will almost certainly be without Galatasaray defender Kaan Ayhan, who is highly questionable after he was substituted on Saturday with a groin injury.
Midfielder Ismail Yuksek will serve a one-match ban after picking up a second yellow card in the qualifying campaign against Bulgaria.
Predicted starting lineups:
Spain: Simon (goalkeeper); Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Merino, Zubimendi, Ruiz; Torres, Oyarzabal, Baena
Turkiye: Cakir (goalkeeper); Celik, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Vural, Kocu; Aydin, Guler, Yildiz; Akturkoglu
What the coaches had to say:
De la Fuente:
The Spain head coach is not taking his team’s unbeaten Group E run for granted before Tuesday’s fixture with Turkiye.
“Our aim is to qualify for the [FIFA] World Cup,” he said.
“Regardless of the results in this phase, we want to win to secure our place in the qualifiers, and that means fighting, working hard and doing things right to give ourselves the best chance of winning.
“It’s very difficult to win and we want to continue on our path, but one game at a time and one day at a time,” De la Fuente said.
“Every now and then it’s good to keep our feet on the ground. What this team is doing is very difficult, but we want to keep improving.”
Montella:
The Turkiye head coach has deployed a strong tactical game plan against Spain, but concedes his side’s chances of overtaking the European champions in the points table are slim.
“It [the fixture] won’t have much effect on the points table, but it’s important for us nonetheless,” he said. “I believe in my players.”
When and where is the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The tournament is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The first match will be played in Mexico City on June 11, while the final will be staged in New Jersey, US, on July 19.
Due to the expansion of the tournament – from 32 teams to 48 – the 39-day event is the longest in its history.
