Logo
×

Follow Us

Sports

Mikel Oyarzabal stars as Spain remains perfect in World Cup qualifying

AP, Barcelona

Published: 16 Nov 2025

Mikel Oyarzabal stars as Spain remains perfect in World Cup qualifying

AP PHOTO

A A

Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice as Spain maintained its perfect form in World Cup qualifying with a 4-0 win in Georgia on Saturday as it closed in on a berth at next year’s showpiece tournament.

Luis de la Fuente’s side has scored 19 times while conceding zero goals in five group victories.

The European champion is poised to wrap up a spot in the finals when it meets Turkey on Tuesday in its last qualifier.


Spain leads Group E by three points over Turkey, which beat Bulgaria 2-0 on Saturday.

The only way the Turks could pip Spain for the top spot and grab a direct ticket to the World Cup would be by winning in Seville by a huge margin.

A tiebreaker would be decided by overall goal difference. Spain is on +19, while Turkey is on +5.

Even so, De la Fuente said it was too early to celebrate.

“We have maximum respect for all our rivals, including Turkey,” De la Fuente said. “We have to keep our feet on the ground and maintain this attitude until we are mathematically qualified.”

The home side didn’t miss injured stars Lamine Yamal, Pedri González or Rodri against the overmatched Georgia.

The Real Sociedad striker Oyarzabal led Spain with his two goals and an assist. Martín Zubimendi and Ferran Torres also scored as their team was up 3-0 by halftime.

Oyarzabal opened the scoring with a penalty in the 11th minute and headed in the fourth goal in the 63rd.


Those were goals 20 and 21 for him on his 50th appearance for Spain. His most important goal for his country was the winner in the 2024 European Championship final, a 2-1 victory over England.

Turkey locked up a top-two finish and assured a playoff spot after Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored a penalty and Bulgaria defender Atanas Chernev added an own goal.

The 12 group winners from European qualification go directly to the World Cup. France, England and Croatia have won their groups. The continent’s remaining four berths are decided by a playoff of the dozen runners-up.

Read More