Spain Secures Unbeaten Qualification for 2026 World Cup via Draw Against Turkey

Spain earned their place in the 2026 World Cup by drawing 2-2 with Turkey in their concluding qualifier on Tuesday, topping Group E in the process.

Turkey secured second position and now faces the play-offs, becoming the initial side to earn points off Luis de la Fuente's Euro 2024 winners.

Dani Olmo put Spain in front, yet Deniz Gul and Salih Ozcan responded for Turkey, marking the first goals Spain conceded during qualification.

Mikel Oyarzabal levelled the score in Seville for a Spanish squad aiming to claim football's premier trophy for the second occasion.

In the qualifiers, Spain netted 21 goals and let in only two, maintaining an unbeaten streak across a national record of 31 matches.

This sequence does encompass a 2-2 Nations League final draw versus Portugal following extra time in June, where Spain fell on penalties.

Turkey demonstrated that De la Fuente's team has vulnerabilities, even though Spain lacked several vital players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Rodri.

To advance, they simply needed to avoid a seven-goal defeat, an unlikely scenario, and could have won were it not for outstanding saves from Manchester United's Altay Bayindir.

Marc Cucurella delivered a cross to Olmo inside the penalty area, who settled the ball neatly to evade a marker before slotting it home precisely in the fourth minute.

The Barcelona midfielder nearly added another from distance twice, but Bayindir diverted both attempts over the crossbar.

Just prior to halftime, Turkey equalised, the first time they breached Spain in qualification, as Gul swiftly volleyed in a header from a corner routine.

The away team started the second period aggressively, prompting a couple of sharp stops from Spain's Unai Simon, before seizing the lead.

Borussia Dortmund's Ozcan unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box, assisted by Orkun Kokcu's clever preparation.

Spain countered swiftly, with Oyarzabal tapping in from near the goal line after Merih Demiral heroically cleared Yeremy Pino's effort, only for it to deflect off a teammate into the path of the Real Sociedad striker.

This marked Oyarzabal's sixth strike in the campaign, bolstering his case as Spain's primary forward for the World Cup.

Late substitute Samu Aghehowa nearly clinched victory for Spain, but Bayindir repelled his header and subsequently thwarted Alex Baena, earning Turkey a commendable draw.

Barcelona's Fermin Lopez scored in added time, though the effort was ruled out for offside.