Spain beat Bulgaria 4-0 to stay on track for automatic World Cup spot

Spain secured a 4-0 victory over Bulgaria on Tuesday night at the Estadio José Zorrilla in Valladolid, extending their perfect start to 2026 World Cup qualifying and moving closer to automatic qualification. Mikel Merino scored twice in the first hour, an own goal from Bulgaria defender Atanas Chernev added a third late on, and Mikel Oyarzabal converted a stoppage-time penalty to complete the scoring.

Merino opened the scoring with a header on 35 minutes after a sustained Spanish attack that began from a cleared corner and a precise pass from Pedri. He doubled the lead on 57 minutes, meeting Alex Grimaldo’s cross to head Spain 2-0. Spain’s control intensified after half time, and a 79th-minute intervention intended to clear a cross resulted in an own goal by Chernev. Oyarzabal’s penalty in second-half stoppage time provided the final margin.

The result left Spain with 12 points from four group matches, putting them well positioned to secure a place at the 2026 World Cup. Team calculations mean Spain need four more points from their remaining fixtures to clinch automatic qualification. Bulgaria remain without a point and have been eliminated from contention with two matches left,...