Spain qualify for World Cup after 2-2 draw with Turkiye

SEVILLE: Spain secured their place at the 2026 World Cup after a nervy 2-2 draw with Turkiye in Seville on Tuesday, finishing unbeaten at the top of Group E despite being given a genuine scare by their resilient visitors.

The European champions took an early lead through Dani Olmo in the fourth minute but Turkiye, who needed an almost impossible seven-goal victory to claim the group, managed to equalise through Deniz Gul in the 42nd minute.

Turkiye then stunned the home crowd by taking the lead in the 54th minute thanks to a Salih Ozcan strike from the edge of the box.

However, Mikel Oyarzabal levelled the match eight minutes later to avoid what would have been Spain’s first home defeat in a qualifier and Turkiye had to settle for a place in the playoffs for next year’s finals in North America.

“We didn’t celebrate as euphorically as we would have liked. We wanted to finish with another win and another clean sheet. It’s a bittersweet feeling… But we’re happy to have qualified for the World Cup,” Olmo told TVE.

“They’ve created chances and so have we. We could have scored a few more goals. We need to improve on set pieces. We’re keen, but first there’s the next international break in March. There’ll be time to prepare.”

Spain began brightly despite the absence of key players such as Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Dani Carvajal, Pedri, and Dean Huijsen.

They took the lead in the fourth minute after Marc Cucurella delivered a low cross from the left flank, which Fabian Ruiz dummied, allowing Olmo to manoeuvre past a defender before driving the ball into the net.

Spain almost added to their advantage with Olmo testing Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir twice in quick succession from the edge of the box.

Turkiye, who had barely threatened, woke up in the 42nd minute.

Baris Alper Yilmaz outmuscled Aymeric Laporte to flick on a corner, with Gul ghosting past the Spanish defence to slide the ball beyond Unai Simon.

It was the first goal Spain had conceded in their World Cup qualifying campaign.

After the break, Vincenzo Montella’s Turkiye grew in confidence and took the lead in the 55th minute when Ozcan scored with a precise low finish from the edge of the box, capping off an intricate team move to give Turkiye a 2-1 lead.

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Spain equalised through Oyarzabal after Yeremy Pino’s run down the left ended with a clearance off the goal line by a Turkish defender.

The Real Sociedad forward pounced on the rebound, burying it into the back of the net.

The draw extended Spain’s unbeaten streak to 31 matches.

The 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States will mark Spain’s 17th appearance in the tournament, continuing an unbroken streak of qualification that began in 1978. Their sole triumph came in 2010, when they lifted the trophy in South Africa.