Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal, despite not having played in recent weeks due to injury, leads Spain’s list for the 2026 World Cup, which does not feature any Real Madrid player.
Barcelona defender Eric García and Atlético de Madrid defender Marc Pubill are the new additions to the squad, in which Real Madrid will not have Spanish representation at a World Cup for the first time in history.
Until now, the edition with the fewest Madrid fans in La Roja was the World Cup in Brazil, in 1950, with only one merengue player in the Spanish team, Luis Molowny.
“I don’t take into account whether a player comes from one club or another. I analyze the general panorama to see if he can be a player for the Spanish national team”, said Spanish coach Luis De la Fuente, after announcing the squad list this Monday (25), when asked about the absence of Real Madrid players.
De la Fuente also highlighted the “versatility” of Pubill, who has not yet debuted for the national team, to justify his choice.
“He can play as a winger or as a defender,” added the Spanish coach, who emphasized the “great performance this season” of the Atlético de Madrid player and Eric Garcia.
“We felt it was the right time because they are in great form,” De la Fuente added of the two defenders.
The Spanish coach had already mentioned on several occasions the possibility of including players who had not yet debuted for the main team.
De la Fuente expressed optimism about the recovery of several players who have recently returned from injury or are in the process of recovering, such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Mikel Merino.
“We are very calm. If there are no setbacks, we will be able to count on almost everyone from the first game,” said De la Fuente, after announcing the call-up in a video narrated by King Felipe the 6th.
The Spanish coach explained that the national team’s medical team is fully coordinated with those of the clubs to monitor players with injuries.
Lamine Yamal missed the final games of the season after suffering a muscle injury, as did Nico Williams, while Mikel Merino recovered from a stress fracture in his right foot.
Arsenal midfielder Merino confirmed last week that “the foot injury is now over”.
“In concentration we will maintain the line drawn by the medical services of the club and the federation”, insisted De la Fuente.
“We are not going to rush anything. Based on the dates and information we have, everyone will be available for the first or second game,” said De la Fuente.
The coach emphasized the need for caution at all times, but admitted that, as it is a World Cup, the possibility of taking risks at some point should not be ruled out.
Favorites, but…
Spain, drawn in Group H, will begin their World Cup campaign on June 15 against Cape Verde, continue on June 21 against Saudi Arabia and conclude the group stage against Uruguay on June 27.
La Roja aspires to improve its results from the last World Cups in Russia, in 2018, and Qatar, in 2022, in which it fell in the round of 16.
Luis De La Fuente does not hesitate to place Spain among the main candidates to win the World Cup, sixteen years after their success in South Africa.
“I say clearly, do we feel favorites? Yes. Capable of winning the World Cup? Yes, but that doesn’t guarantee anything,” said De la Fuente.
“There are other teams that are as candidates as us. We want to fight as hard as we can, but football is difficult even though we are superior to our rivals,” said the Spanish coach.
“We will fight for everything”, assured De la Fuente, for whom Spain has all the ingredients to be champions.
“We have quality, team spirit and competitiveness; in these areas, we are a very strong team. There are other strengths and things to improve, but we have a great base”, he concluded.
Spain’s list for the World Cup
Goalkeepers: Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal) and Joan García (Barcelona)
Defenders: Cucurella (Chelsea), Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Cubarsí (Barcelona), Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Pubill (Atlético de Madrid), Eric García (Barcelona), Marcos Llorente (Atlético de Madrid) and Pedro Porro (Tottenham)
Midfielders/forwards: Pedri (Barcelona), Fabián Ruíz (PSG), Zubimendi (Arsenal), Gavi (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Alex Baena (Atlético de Madrid), Merino (Arsenal), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Borja Iglesias (Celta de Vigo), Víctor Muñoz (Osasuna) and Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
