Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has unveiled his 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, handing eight call-ups to La Liga champions Barcelona — the most of any club — in a selection that marks a historic shift in the national team’s balance of power.
The Blaugrana contingent includes goalkeeper Joan Garcia — who won the Zamora Trophy in his debut season — defenders Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia, midfielders Pedri, Gavi, and Dani Olmo, and forwards Ferran Torres and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who is recovering from a hamstring injury but expected to be fit for Spain’s third group game.
The squad announcement was bittersweet, however, as Barcelona midfielder Fermín López has been officially ruled out of the tournament after undergoing surgery on a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot. The 23-year-old suffered the injury during Barcelona’s 3-1 victory over Real Betis and faces a recovery period of two to three months.
A Historic First for Real Madrid
For the first time in World Cup history, Spain will travel to a major tournament without a single Real Madrid player in the squad. The unprecedented omission leaves the 15-time Champions League winners without representation, with defenders Dean Huijsen and Dani Carvajal among those overlooked by de la Fuente.
De la Fuente downplayed the significance of the absence, telling reporters: “I’m the manager, and I don’t look at where the players come from. They’re national team players; I don’t have the same local bias that a fan might have.”
Spain’s World Cup Campaign
Spain, the reigning European champions after their Euro 2024 triumph, will open their Group H campaign against World Cup debutants Cape Verde on June 15 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They will then face Saudi Arabia on June 21, followed by a clash with Uruguay, with all group matches taking place in Atlanta.
With eight Barcelona players leading the charge, La Roja enter the tournament as one of the favorites to lift the trophy for the second time in their history, 16 years after their 2010 triumph.
