Türkiye seeks to clinch playoff spot against Bulgaria

BURSA

The Turkish national team is poised to take a significant step toward the 2026 World Cup playoffs when it hosts a struggling Bulgaria side on Nov. 15 in a Group E qualifier.

Türkiye, under coach Vincenzo Montella, enters the match in Bursa in a strong position, sitting second in the group behind European champion Spain.

A victory against the group's last-place team would secure at least a spot in the playoff bracket, keeping Türkiye’s remote chances for automatic qualification alive ahead of a final, daunting trip to Spain on Nov. 18.

Montella’s men are heavily favored, having hammered Bulgaria 6-1 on the road in their first meeting just last month. Key players like young star Arda Güler and veteran midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who leads the team in assists, are expected to lead the attack.

Türkiye is coming off a confidence-boosting 4-1 home victory over Georgia last month.

"This is a crucial match for us," Montella said.

"We must show the same focus and attacking quality we've displayed recently. We respect Bulgaria, but our goal is three points and securing that second place."

Bulgaria’s campaign has been dismal, with the team managing zero points from four matches and conceding 16 goals, including a 4-0 loss to Spain in its last outing.

Coach Aleksandar Dimitrov’s men have struggled for form and identity throughout the qualifying round. They have not won a match in their last nine international attempts and have little left to play for except pride and an effort to score their first points.

“We know the odds are against us,” Dimitrov said. “But every match is an opportunity to improve. We will fight to make it difficult for Türkiye and restore some pride to our fans.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. local time (2 p.m. EST). Türkiye will be without defender Çağlar Söyüncü due to injury, but Montella has a deep squad to call upon, including forward Kenan Yildiz, who has been in sharp scoring form.

A convincing Turkish victory is widely expected, which would cement its status as the group's second-best team and move them one step closer to the World Cup finals.

Also in Group E, Spain has a perfect record of four wins, 15 goals scored and none conceded, yet still has two tricky games to finish, starting with Georgia away on Nov. 15.

Tbilisi is where Yamal’s international career started as Spain’s youngest-ever player, aged 16 years and less than two months in September 2023. Then, he scored as a substitute in a 7-1 win over Georgia in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Yamal will not return this week. Spain reluctantly allowed Yamal to stay in Barcelona to manage a groin injury.

Meanwhile, France reached the World Cup with a 4-0 win over Ukraine on Nov. 13 as the country marked the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris attacks, while Portugal was made to wait after losing 2-0 in Dublin as Cristiano Ronaldo saw red.

Norway must also be patient after Italy struck late in Moldova to prevent it from stamping its ticket to next year's tournament.