In Group E, Spain dominated Turkey on their home turf. The visitors had 21 shots with 12 on target, compared to Turkey's 11 shots and 2 on target, resulting in a 6-0 victory for Spain.
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Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick in Spain's 6-0 win over Turkey in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on 7/9. Photo: beIN SPORTS |
Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick in Spain's 6-0 win over Turkey in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on 7/9. Photo: beIN SPORTS
Mikel Merino shone with a hat-trick, becoming the second Spanish midfielder to achieve this feat in the last 15 years, following Isco's hat-trick against Argentina in 3/2018. Merino has now scored 6 goals in 6 matches for Spain across all competitions in 2025, making him the highest-scoring European midfielder at the international level this year.
Ferran Torres and Pedri, with a brace, also contributed to the scoring. The 6-0 win marks Spain's second-largest away victory in World Cup qualifying, surpassed only by their 8-0 triumph over Liechtenstein in 9/2017.
Spain leads Group E with a perfect 6 points. Georgia and Turkey follow with 3 points each, while Bulgaria has yet to earn any points.
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Kevin De Bruyne starred with two goals and an assist in the 6-0 win over Kazakhstan at Lotto Park, Brussels, Belgium on 7/9. Photo: AFP |
Kevin De Bruyne starred with two goals and an assist in the 6-0 win over Kazakhstan at Lotto Park, Brussels, Belgium on 7/9. Photo: AFP
In Group J, Belgium also secured a 6-0 win against Kazakhstan at home. Nicolas Raskin and Thomas Meunier each scored once, while Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku both bagged a brace.
This victory elevates Belgium to second place in Group J with 10 points from 4 matches. North Macedonia currently leads the group with 11 points from 5 matches.
In Group A, after a surprising 2-0 defeat to Slovakia, Germany bounced back with a 3-1 win against Northern Ireland, thanks to goals from Serge Gnabry, Florian Wirtz, and Nadiem Amiri.
In the other Group A match, Slovakia defeated hosts Luxembourg 1-0 to take the top spot with 6 points. Northern Ireland and Germany follow with 3 points each, while Luxembourg remains pointless.
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Memphis Depay (left) became the all-time leading scorer for the Netherlands. Photo: Reuters |
Memphis Depay (left) became the all-time leading scorer for the Netherlands. Photo: Reuters
In Group G, the Netherlands edged out Lithuania 3-2 thanks to a brace from Memphis Depay and a goal from Quinten Timber. Depay's two goals brought his international tally to 52, surpassing Robin van Persie's record of 50 to become the Netherlands' all-time leading scorer.
The European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup are divided into two stages. In the group stage, 55 teams are split into 12 groups: six groups of four teams and six groups of five. Teams play each other home and away. The group winners qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup.
Sixteen teams then compete in the playoffs. These include the 12 group runners-up and the four best-performing teams from the Nations League who did not finish in the top two of their qualifying group.
The playoffs are divided into four paths, each consisting of two single-leg matches: a semi-final and a final. In the semi-finals, the seeded team plays at home, while the venue for the final is determined by a draw. The four path winners qualify for the World Cup, bringing the total number of European representatives to 16.
Compiled by Hong Duy
