Spain coach Luis de la Fuente named a 26-man World Cup squad which features Lamine Yamal but is without any Real Madrid players on Monday, with defender Dean Huijsen joining Dani Carvajal in missing out.
Spain — who crashed out in the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup but then won Euro 2024 in style — are among the favourites to win this summer’s tournament, kicking off against Cape Verde on June 15 before playing Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H.
De la Fuente said he wasn’t concerned by fitness doubts over Yamal, Nico Williams and Mikel Merino, saying he had “no doubt” the trio would be ready for Spain’s debut game in Atlanta.
In an event in Madrid, De la Fuente named Athletic Club’s Unai Simón, Arsenal‘s David Raya and Barcelona‘s Joan García as his three goalkeepers, with Real Sociedad’s Álex Remiro absent.
In defence, De la Fuente included Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill, Eric García, Marcos Llorente and Pedro Porro.
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In midfield, he named Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Martín Zubimendi, Gavi, Rodri, Álex Baena and Merino.
Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo, Williams, Yéremy Pino, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Víctor Muñoz and Yamal make up the forward line.
As well as Huijsen and Carvajal — who hadn’t made Spain’s 55-player long list — Atlético Madrid’s Robin Le Normand was also omitted.
Barcelona’s Fermín López is absent after suffering a broken foot.
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“It’s difficult,” De la Fuente said, when asked about leaving players out. “We think about every possible scenario that can happen in games with our opponents, and their characteristics… We’ve chosen these 26. I think we’ve covered the needs of the team… I don’t look at whether they play for one team or another.”
De la Fuente also named nine “support players” including Real Madrid’s Gonzalo García and Barcelona’s Marc Bernal, who will be with the squad in training ahead of the tournament.
Spain will play a pre-tournament friendly against Iraq in A Coruña, Galicia, on Thursday, June 4, before crossing the Atlantic for another friendly match with Peru in Puebla, Mexico on June 8.
De la Fuente said Spain’s medical reports suggested Yamal, Williams and Merino — who returned for Arsenal in their last game of the Premier League season on Sunday — would be available to play Cape Verde on June 15.
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“We’re very calm,” he said. “I think that if there are no setbacks, we can almost have everyone available from the first game. The doctor and fitness coach have been visiting the clubs and talking to them. We’ve been coordinating… I have no doubt they’ll be ready for the first game, and if not, they’ll be ready for the second.”
De la Fuente praised Carvajal — who also said farewell to Madrid in their last game of the season at the Bernabéu — and former captain Álvaro Morata, who led Spain at Euro 2024.
They’ve left an unforgettable legacy of leadership,” the coach said. “But the generation behind them are perfectly prepared, they’re cut from the same cloth.”
Spain squad for 2026 World Cup
Unai Simón (Athletic Club), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan García (Barcelona)
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Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Club), Álex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur), Eric García (Barcelona), Marcos Llorente (Atlético Madrid), Marc Pubill (Atlético Madrid)
Gavi (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Martín Zubimendi (Arsenal), Fabián Ruiz (PSG), Álex Baena (Atlético Madrid), Mikel Merino (Arsenal)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Yéremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo), Víctor Muñoz (Osasuna)
