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Türkiye's national football team will host reigning European champions Spain on Sunday at MEDAS Konya Buyuksehir Stadium in their second Group E match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers, with kickoff scheduled for 9:45 p.m. local time (20:45 CET/18:45 UTC).
Both teams enter the match with victories from their opening qualifiers.
Türkiye defeated Georgia 3-2 away, while Spain dominated Bulgaria 3-0 in Sofia. Spain currently leads the group on goal difference, with Türkiye in second place. Georgia and Bulgaria remain without points.
English referee Michael Oliver will officiate the match, assisted by compatriots Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring.
Türkiye will be without Baris Alper Yilmaz, who received a red card in the Georgia match and is suspended for this encounter.
On the other hand, Spain's squad has been weakened by injuries to Gavi and Yeremy Pino, who were removed from the roster before the Bulgaria match.
The probable lineups are:
This will be the 12th meeting between Türkiye and Spain. In their previous 11 encounters, Türkiye has won only once, drawn four times, and lost six matches.
The Turkish team has scored five goals while conceding 17 across these meetings, which include five World Cup qualifiers, two European Championship qualifiers, one European Championship match, and three friendlies.
The teams last met on June 17, 2016, during the European Championship in France, where Spain won 3-0 with goals from Alvaro Morata (2) and Nolito.
Türkiye boasts an impressive record at the 42,000-capacity stadium in Konya, having played eight matches there since 2014 with four victories, two draws, and two defeats (including one friendly).
Notable victories at the venue include a 2-0 win over 2018 World Cup champions France and a 3-0 triumph against the Netherlands.
The stadium also witnessed Türkiye's dramatic last-minute victory over Iceland that secured direct qualification for the 2016 European Championship.
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