MADRID, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Spain continued its dominant march toward qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals with a commanding 4-0 win over Bulgaria in Valladolid on Tuesday night.

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino netted twice to lead another convincing performance from Luis de la Fuente's side, which has now scored six goals without conceding during the current international window. Goalkeeper Unai Simon has faced just one shot on target across the two matches.

The results were even more impressive given Spain's lengthy list of absentees, including Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Rodrigo Hernandez, Dani Carvajal and Fabian Ruiz, while Dean Huijsen also withdrew through injury.

In their absence, players such as Alex Baena, Yeremy Pino, Pedro Porro and Merino stepped up, while veteran defender Aymeric Laporte's composed display against Bulgaria underlined his continued importance to the team's back line.

Spain tops Group E in World Cup qualifying with 12 points from four matches, scoring 15 goals without reply. The reigning European champions are now within reach of securing their ticket to the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Following a comfortable win over Georgia on Saturday, De la Fuente's team again dominated from start to finish. Spain also thrashed Türkiye 6-0 away in September, and given their current form, few would bet against them maintaining a perfect record.

Türkiye remains the only team capable of mathematically overtaking Spain, but with a vastly superior goal difference of +15 compared to Türkiye's +3, Spain holds a commanding advantage. Even if both sides win their penultimate matches, Turkiye would need a huge victory in Seville to leapfrog the Spaniards.

More than results, Spain's depth continues to impress, as De la Fuente's men show they can thrive despite the absence of key names -- a hallmark of a team in complete control.