After Spain’s thrilling victory at the 2024 European Championship, it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that the country will enter the 2026 World Cup as heavy favorites.
And with a relatively young but hugely experienced group of players, La Roja will be keen to recreate the dominance of more than a decade ago, which saw them secure three of the five major international honours.
But the world stage has not been kind to the Spaniards since their victory in 2010. A disastrous group stage exit in 2014 was followed by a round of sixteen shootout defeats in both 2018 and 2022.
With the moment of the day being a reversal, Luis de la Fuente shocked the football fraternity on Monday by not selecting any Real Madrid player, a first for Spain in the history of the World Cup.
«I am the manager and I don’t look at where the players come from. They are national team players; I don’t look at one club or another. I don’t have the same local prejudices that a fan might have. All I want is for these players to be proud to represent the national team,» De la Fuente told reporters.
Of the 26 members, 15 were present in the victorious Euro 2024 campaign, while 12 of them, including the erratic Lamine Yamal, will be participating in the World Cup for the first time. Squad selection will have been fairly easy for the 64-year-old based on form and availability, but whittling it down to eleven on the pitch will prove to be a more difficult task.
Despite largely flying under the radar during a regular season at Athletic Club, Unai Simon has consistently been Spain’s number one since late 2020. As a senior voice in the squad, the 28-year-old is expected to have De la Fuente’s support between the sticks, despite David Raya and Joan Garcia winning their respective competitions.
Defense is where the biggest exclusions have come for Spain, with Real Madrid trio Dani Carvajal, Raul Asencio and Dean Huijsen not finding a place on the plane to North America. The three have made just 52 league starts this season, with Carvajal suffering an injury, while the other two failed to find form in what has been a tumultuous season for Los Blancos.
Rodri is the most experienced player in the Spanish team with 61 caps. | Photo credit: AP
Rodri is the most experienced player in the Spanish team with 61 caps. | Photo credit: AP
Pau Cubarsi, who made more than 100 appearances for Barcelona at the age of 19, looks the likely candidate to man the defense alongside Aymeric Laporte, who revived his career after moving from Al Nassr to Athletic Club last season.
Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro, who have had sub-par seasons at their respective London clubs, seem the obvious choices to start at wing-backs, with Alex Grimaldo and Marco Llorente as capable replacements.
Spain’s greatest players have played in midfield, and once again there is a lot of talent on display. It will be a battle between Rodri and Zubimendi for the defensive midfielder role, with the experienced Manchester City man likely to beat the recently crowned Premier League champions.
Pedri had to watch from the sidelines with an injury as Spain won a record fourth European Championship two years ago, but this time the 23-year-old looks fit and ready to lead the Spanish show in the middle of the pitch. Meanwhile, Euro 2024 heroes Mikel Merino and Fabian Ruiz have retained their places despite missing large parts of the season due to injury, but the latter’s late-season revival, which saw Paris Saint-Germain reach the Champions League final, gives him the edge.
Yamal enters the tournament as one of the most high-profile players, but with the youngster reportedly set to miss Spain’s first match due to a hamstring injury, Ferran Torres is expected to take his place. Meanwhile, Nico Williams’ fitness also remains a concern after he missed Athletic Club’s last three matches due to injury. Dani Olmo, who became a mainstay after replacing Pedri in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals against Germany, could fill in on the left wing.
While former captain Alvaro Morata has slowly faded from the squad over the past year, Mikel Oyarzabal will take on the role of central striker in the ‘greatest show in the world’ after leading Real Sociedad to the Copa del Rey title.
BEST XI
Unai Simon (gk); Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Nico Williams
The Spanish squad for the 2026 World Cup
- Goalkeepers: Unai Simón, David Raya, Joan García
- Defenders: Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill, Eric García, Marcos Llorente, Pedro Porro
- Midfielders: Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Martín Zubimendi, Gavi, Rodrigo Hernández, Álex Baena, Mikel Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal
- Forward: Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Yeremy Pino, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Víctor Muñoz, Lamine Yamal
Published on May 25, 2026
