#spain-national-team

#spain-national-team

While other countries have already played multiple games in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers, Spain are only starting now due to their presence in the latter stages of the Nations League earlier in the year, when they lost in the final to Portugal. Luis de la Fuente's side travel to Sofia to play Bulgaria, a match they'll be expected to win in Group E that also contains Georgia and Turkey.

European champions Spain will begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a visit to Sofia to take on Bulgaria. These two nations are in Group E, along with Turkey and Georgia. The group winner will automatically qualify for the tournament, while the second-place team will enter the qualifying play-offs. Bulgaria are coming off a disappointing Nations League campaign where they failed to secure promotion to League B after losing to the Republic of Ireland in the play-offs.

If Spain are to come anywhere close to their 2008-2010 feats and back up their European Championship title by adding the World Cup, then they have a central problem. Literally. It's a 6-foot-2, 118-pound problem by the name of Rodri Hernández: Ballón d'Or winner, leader, champion, enforcer, brainiac, and someone without whom, on top form, Spain simply won't lift their second Mundial trophy in New Jersey next July.

"If I'd felt pressure, I would have brought him in," De la Fuente said. "We monitor all the goalkeepers, and Joan could be here now, before, or in the future. And not because he's at Barca. I want to tell you that players from clubs don't come here; this is the national team, regardless of the club they come from. "Let's not make assumptions about whether six or seven come from one club... Let's give this importance. Joan's time will come, for sure."

"I am a better Alexia now," she told reporters from Spain's headquarters in Madrid before the team relocates to its base in Lausanne next week.

I see it in a positive light. It was a very good learning experience. It taught me how to handle extreme situations.

Right now, thinking about it isn't my priority. I'm here with the national team, which is already quite demanding, and if I have to say something, then I will.