Spain qualifies for World Cup with Turkiye draw
Spain secured its place at the 2026 World Cup after a nervy 2-2 draw with Turkiye in Seville, finishing unbeaten at the top of Group E despite being given a genuine scare by its resilient visitor.
The European champion took an early lead through Dani Olmo in the fourth minute but Turkey, which 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.

































