Severe weather conditions could cancel Spain’s qualification game

The severe weather conditions currently affecting southeastern Spain are seriously jeopardizing the World Cup 2026 qualifying match between Spain and Georgia in Group E. The match, scheduled to kick off at 21:45 at the Manuel Martínez Valero Stadium in Elche, is in serious doubt because the weather forecast for Saturday looks grim — in some parts of the Alicante region, as much as 180 liters of rain per square meter are expected to fall within just 12 hours. The highest level of weather alert has been issued.

Because of all this, Spain’s squad delayed its trip from Madrid to Elche until Saturday, instead of traveling on Friday as originally planned. Head coach Luis de la Fuente, who had to hold his press conference in Madrid, was asked whether the match might actually be postponed.

“Let’s wait and see. God willing, nothing will happen. I say that mainly for the safety of those living there. It’s best if the weather normalizes. We had to change our travel plans, but that’s a minor issue. I hope everything will be fine,” said an optimistic De la Fuente.

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Spain has started the qualifiers brilliantly, with wins over Bulgaria (3–0) and Turkey (6–0). La Furia Roja now has a chance to equal its best-ever unbeaten run in official matches — 29 games — first achieved between 2010 and 2013 under Vicente del Bosque. Thanks to their excellent results, Spain has also climbed back to the top of the FIFA world rankings for the first time in 11 years. However, injuries and absences are a major headache for the Spanish coach. During Thursday’s final training session, Dani Olmo picked up a calf injury. Only four players from the squad that won Euro 2024 are available for this match. De la Fuente will also be without Rodri, Dani Carvajal, Lamine Yamal, and Nico Williams — leaving the wings particularly depleted. Fabian Ruiz and Dean Huijsen are also out through injury.

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It’s clear that De la Fuente will have to shuffle his lineup and give opportunities to players eager to prove themselves. Marcos Llorente, Pablo Barrios, Jesús Rodríguez, Jorge de Frutos, Alex Baena, and Samu Omorodion are all in contention. Aymeric Laporte and Borja Iglesias have returned, while Mikel Oyarzabal is expected to lead the attack. Martín Zubimendi, Pedri, and Mikel Merino form the core of the midfield, while Pau Cubarsí, Dani Vivian, and Robin Le Normand are competing for spots in defense.

Spain and Georgia have met four times in official competition — and La Furia Roja has won every encounter. The last meeting ended 4–1, marking Lamine Yamal’s debut, but this time Georgia looks stronger than ever. Willy Sagnol’s side features stars like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Giorgi Mamardashvili, and Georges Mikautadze. For Georgia, getting a result here is crucial — they currently have three points after a home defeat to Turkey (2–3) and a 3–0 win over Bulgaria.

WC QUALIFIERS - EUROPE

Saturday

16.00: (1.55) Latvia (3.60) Andorra (7.75)

19.00: (1.37) Hungary (4.80) Armenia (9.00)

19.00: (1.20) Norway (7.25) Israel (12.0)

21.45: (11.0) Bulgaria (6.00) Turkey (1.25)

21.45: (25.0) Estonia (11.0) Italy (1.08)

21.45: (1.15) Portugal (7.75) R.Ireland (19.0)

21.45: (1.75) Serbia (3.60) Albania (5.60)

21.45: (1.12) Spain (10.0) Georgia (16.0)

***odds are subject to change***