Bulgaria vs Spain FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Preview, when and where to watch in India?
UEFA Nations League finalist and current European champions Spain will be taking on Bulgaria in the first match of Group E of FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Friday at midnight.
Last Updated: 08.54 PM, Sep 03, 2025
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match between Bulgaria and Spain is scheduled for Friday, September 5, 2025, at the iconic Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria. This will be the first round match of Group E of the European qualifiers.
Match Details
Match: Bulgaria vs Spain, FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2026
Date: 5 September 2025
Time: 12.15 am IST
Venue: Vasil Levski National Stadium
How to watch the match?
Football fans in India can watch the Slovakia vs Germany, FIFA World Cup Qualifiers match LIVE on the SonyLIV app and website, accessible via OTTplay Premium.
The match will also be televised on Sony Sports Network Channels in India.
Bulgaria vs Spain: H2H stats
Bulgaria and Spain have met each other five times so far, including friendlies. Spain have dominated Bulgaria with 4 wins and 1 draw while scoring 23 goals.
In two official games, Spain won once, and the other match was drawn.
Match Preview and team news
This game marks the beginning of a significant qualifying campaign for both teams in UEFA Group E, which also includes Turkey and Georgia. Spain, the 2010 World Cup champions, are the clear favorites given their rich history and squad quality.
Blugarai will be looking to enter their first FIFA World Cup since 1998.
Bulgaria enters this fixture under coach Ilian Iliev, coming off a struggle in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League, where they failed to win promotion and recorded some disappointing recent results, including a 4-0 friendly loss to Greece and a 2-2 draw with Cyprus.
Ranked 84th in FIFA rankings, Bulgaria faces a tough task to challenge Spain’s prowess. Their defensive strategy is expected to include a compact five-man backline to counter Spain's attacking threats.
Spain, coached by Luis de la Fuente, is in strong shape, fresh from a high-scoring 5-4 semifinal win against France in the Nations League but narrowly losing out to Portugal on penalties in the final.
Spain has a formidable away record and aims for an automatic qualification spot in their 13th consecutive World Cup appearance.
Notable absences due to injury include Barcelona's Gavi and Paris Saint-Germain's Fabian Ruiz, but the squad remains deep with talent across all areas. Rodri might have to be benched and come as a substitue since he did not have that much game time recently after returning from injury.
Possible lineups:
Bulgaria: D. Mitov, V. Popov, H. Petrov, A. Petkov, Z. Atanasov, A. Kraev, I. Gruev, K. Filip, V. Panayotov, F. Nürnberger, V. Nikolov,
Spain: U. Simón, D. Carvajal, P. Cubarsí, D. Huijsen, M. Cucurella, F. Ruiz, M. Zubimendi, L. Yamal, Pedri, M. Oyarzabal, F. Torres