La Roja to Return to Elche After Seven Years

La Roja, the Spanish national football team, is set to return to Elche. Seven years after their last appearance in the city, Spain will play at the Martínez Valero Stadium once again. The match is scheduled for Saturday, October 11, when Luis de la Fuente's squad will face Georgia in a World Cup 2026 qualifier.

This will be the seventh match Spain plays at the Martínez Valero and the first since their 6-0 victory over Croatia on September 11, 2018, during the inaugural Nations League. Under the guidance of Luis Enrique at the time, Spain delivered a resounding win with goals from Saúl Ñíguez, Marco Asensio, Rodrigo Moreno, Sergio Ramos, Isco, and an own goal by Jalinic.

Opened in 1976 with a capacity of 31,000 spectators, the Martínez Valero Stadium first hosted La Roja on February 18, 1986, in a friendly against Belgium. The match served as preparation for the Mexico World Cup, with Emilio Butragueño, Julio Salinas, and Antonio Maceda securing a 3-0 victory for Miguel Muñoz's team.

Nine years after that friendly, Spain returned to Elche for a Euro 1996 qualifier against Macedonia. La Roja secured a 3-0 win with goals from Kiko Narváez, Javier Manjarín, and José Luis Pérez Caminero, sealing their place in the European Championship, where they reached the quarter-finals before being knocked out by the host nation.

In 2003, Spain played in Elche again, hosting Ukraine in a Euro 2004 qualifier. Spain won 2-1 thanks to a brace from Raúl González, while Andriy Shevchenko scored for the visitors.

The Martínez Valero reunited with Spain in June 2006 for a friendly against Egypt, which served as preparation for the Germany World Cup. Raúl González and José Antonio Reyes scored to secure a victory against the then African champions.

Once more, the Martínez Valero hosted a friendly in 2008, where Spain faced the then world champions Italy ahead of the Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria. This tournament marked the beginning of Spain's golden era, with consecutive European and World Cup victories. David Villa's solitary goal secured the win for the hosts.

In October, Spain will aim to extend their impressive record at the Martínez Valero, where they have won all six matches played, boasting an outstanding 17 goals scored and only one conceded. Before the Elche fixture, during the September international window, Spain will play two away qualifiers. They will face Bulgaria in Sofia on Thursday, the 4th, and Turkey in Konya on Sunday, the 7th.