Spain at FIFA World Cup 2026 — Coach De la Fuente provides update on Yamal and elaborates World Cup plans

Luis de la Fuente insisted on Tuesday that the Spanish crest surpasses all club logos after naming a World Cup squad with a distinct Barcelona tinge and, for the first time, no Real Madrid player in sight.

The European champions enter the tournament of favorites next month, with De la Fuente’s 26-man squad featuring eight Barcelona players and none from the Spanish capital’s biggest club, bringing the fierce El Clasico rivalry into the national team debate.

Defenders Dean Huijsen and Dani Carvajal were among the Real Madrid names left out of a team chasing Spain’s second World Cup title after their 2010 triumph in South Africa.

De la Fuente rejected the idea that the decision could cost him support among Real Madrid fans.

“For me, the best team there is – the greatest – is the Spanish national team,” De la Fuente said during a breakfast with media representatives organized by Spanish public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE.

«I don’t look at where players come from or their background. What matters are Spanish players who are proud of representing their country’s national team and being part of a united nation.»

YAMAL ‘RARRED TO GO’ AS HE RECOVERS FROM INJURY

Barcelona’s contingent includes Joan Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Gavi, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres, while seven called-up players are from the Premier League.

The manager said that only sporting considerations determined his selection, even though selection decisions inevitably carried a subjective element.

“The day I make a mistake, fail to make the right choice, or act in a way that could be useful just to get a result, I’m putting my job on the line,” he said. Spain open Group H against Cape Verde before facing Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, but De la Fuente could still take a cautious approach with Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Mikel Merino all recovering from fitness problems.

“We are in contact with all the clubs,” he said. «We know that these players are in good physical condition; they are all making good progress in their recovery process. I am very optimistic; I think they will be available for the first match.»

Still, De la Fuente said Spain’s opinion extended beyond the opener.

“If we have to take a risk, mate, we’ll take it in a World Cup,” he said. «But… our vision goes beyond the first match and also the second. So if we have to wait a little longer, we will wait.»

On Yamal, the 18-year-old Barcelona winger expected to carry much of the Spanish attacking threat, De la Fuente said youth had not softened his sense of occasion.

“Yamal is absolutely excited and raring to go,” he said. “He is a very young boy, only 18, but he has a remarkable sense of maturity and knows that this is his moment.

«You have to seize the moment. And he knows this is his moment.»

Published on May 26, 2026