Seville, Gateway to the World Cup

This is the decisive moment. Everything will be settled this evening. The Spanish national team plays its final qualifying match for the World Cup, which will take place next summer in North America.

Luis de la Fuente’s squad holds a clear advantage. Spain only needs to avoid a defeat by seven goals or more in order to secure qualification for what would be their 13th consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance (every edition since Argentina 1978).

Spain vs Türkiye – 20:45 (CET) on La 1

Spain leads Group E convincingly with a perfect record – five wins from five – having scored 19 goals and conceded none. Turkey, their opponents tonight at La Cartuja, are second with 12 points, while Georgia and Bulgaria, already eliminated, close the table with three points and zero respectively.

Get your tickets for Spain vs Türkiye at La Cartuja

Tonight’s clash will mark the 13th meeting between Spain and Türkiye at senior level, with a record showing seven Spanish wins, four draws and one Turkish victory. Their first encounter dates back to 8 June 1952, when a Spanish side featuring Ramallets, Puchades, César, Basora and Gainza, and managed by Ricardo Zamora, drew 0–0 at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Stadium.

The most recent match between the two teams was played last September, when Spain delivered a stunning performance, winning 6–0 at Büyükşehir Stadium in Konya thanks to a Mikel Merino hat-trick, a brace from Pedri and a goal by Ferran Torres.

Seville and La Cartuja Stadium have long been a special setting for the national team. Spain has played 54 matches in the Andalusian capital, winning 42 of them. The team is currently unbeaten in eight consecutive fixtures at La Cartuja — a streak that dates back to 2000 — and it was there that they celebrated qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup after defeating Sweden in 2021.

At the pre-match press conference, both head coach Luis de la Fuente and PSG midfielder Fabián Ruiz called on the supporters to create one of La Cartuja’s famous atmospheres. “Seville is my home and this city never fails. I would ask the fans to keep supporting us as they always have,” said De la Fuente, who previously played (1987–1991) and coached in Sevilla FC’s youth academy (2001–2005). For his part, the Andalusian midfielder stated: “I’m extremely happy to return to Seville. Hopefully there will be a huge crowd supporting us because we are eager to celebrate qualification with them.”

Spain will debut its new kit tonight. Get yours here!

German referee Felix Zwayer will officiate the match. He will be assisted on the lines by compatriots Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz, with Sven Jablonski acting as fourth official. Video assistant referee duties will be handled by Bastian Dankert with Daniel Schlager as AVAR.

Spain and the autonomous community of Andalusia — where the national team has played more matches than in any other region with 88 in total — once again join forces in pursuit of their main objective: securing a place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.