Luis de la Fuente has named Spain’s 2026 World Cup squad, with no Real Madrid players included for the first time in the tournament’s history and Lamine Yamal set for his competition debut.
The Athletic reported the omission of Madrid defender Dean Huijsen on Monday, and this was later confirmed by the Spanish Football Federation, meaning for the first time in their 92 years of competing at the World Cup, Spain’s squad will not feature any players from the country’s most decorated club.
Barcelona star Yamal, 18, will go to his first World Cup, but is expected to miss his side’s opening match against Cape Verde due to a hamstring injury and is a doubt for the second group game with Saudi Arabia.
Barca team-mate Gavi is included after returning from seven months out with a knee injury in March and starting seven of Barcelona’s final eight games of the season. Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino is also selected, having returned to action during the final game of the season following four months out with a foot injury.
Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia, Atletico Madrid’s Marc Pubill and Athletic Club’s Aymeric Laporte have been selected ahead of Huijsen at centre-back, while Atletico’s Robin Le Normand also misses out. Pubill, 22, has received his first senior call up, Cubarsi, 19, will go to his first major tournament and Garcia, 25, returns to the squad having most recently represented his country in 2022.
Nico Williams missed the final three matches of Athletic’s season with a left hamstring injury but was expected to be fit for the World Cup and is named in the squad. Williams has not hit the heights of previous seasons, with six goals and three assists from 25 appearances in La Liga during an injury-hit campaign.
This summer’s tournament will be Spain’s 17th World Cup appearance. They also did not take any Madrid players to the 2020 European Championship, but there were three representatives in the country’s Euro 2024-winning squad: the departing Dani Carvajal, who did not make Spain’s provisional World Cup squad after his past two seasons were disrupted by injury, plus defender Nacho and striker Joselu, who have since left the club.
Spain have been drawn alongside Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in their World Cup group.
What were De la Fuente’s biggest calls?
Analysis from Barcelona correspondent Pol Ballus
Luis de la Fuente’s list reflects two of his two biggest principles: prioritising dressing room harmony and trusting players who have already delivered under him. But some of those selected are set to arrive at the World Cup with doubts over their fitness.
Williams will be on the plane despite having an inconsistent season impacted by injuries, as well as Merino. Both players have been fundamental to De la Fuente’s tenure as national team manager, and they have been rewarded for that.
Yamal is the leading name and Spain’s most important player. There were no doubts about his inclusion, despite him being set to miss the opening game against Cape Verde and potentially the second match too.
The boldest calls have been in the defensive line. There is only one centre-back in the list from the Spain squad that won the European Championship in 2024 — Laporte. Cubarsi missed out on that squad but has been included this time, and the head coach gave the nod to two of La Liga’s most in-form players: Atletico’s Pubill and Barcelona’s Eric Garcia. They have replaced Robin le Normand and Dean Huijsen, who had been selected in previous call-ups.
Barcelona defenders Cubarsi (left) and Garcia have both been included in the squad (Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
The squad also outlines a potential changing of the guard in goal. De la Fuente broke the goalkeeping union that he had formed over the past few years to include Barca’s Joan Garcia. It was inevitable, in fairness, given Garcia has had an outstanding season compared to Real Sociedad’s Alex Remiro, who has been left out.
In midfield, Barcelona star Gavi has earned his place back with the team after an excellent end to the season. He returned from injury in March and started seven out of the final eight La Liga games.
Finally, there’s a group of specialists too. Borja Iglesias is the designated target man who can be called upon in desperate situations and Victor Munoz, one of the breakout players in La Liga this term, will be the X-factor coming off the bench. Munoz had two excellent performances playing on the wing with Spain in March.
‘Historical Real Madrid absence a reflection of club’s season’
Analysis by Real Madrid correspondent Guillermo Rai
At the start of the campaign, at least four Madrid players looked to have a real chance of making the Spain squad: captain and right-back Carvajal, left-back Alvaro Carreras, striker Gonzalo Garcia and, of course, Huijsen himself.
But the lack of trophies — and, above all, a season marked by inconsistency, uncertainty and negativity — ended up damaging all of their chances.
The only one still fighting for a place until the very end was Huijsen, whose development suffered once Xabi Alonso began to question his role in the team.
(Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
There were matches in which the Santiago Bernabeu crowd even whistled him, while muscular problems also prevented him from performing at his best.
He eventually bounced back, though, and produced a composed display in the UEFA Champions League last 16 win over Manchester City.
However, in the following round, Alvaro Arbeloa surprisingly left him out of the starting XI for the decisive second leg against Bayern Munich, instead trusting the experience of Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao.
Despite the enormous potential he showed, that lack of continuity ultimately hurt Huijsen’s chances. The positive for the 21-year-old is that he will have many more opportunities in the future.
At the same time, the situation has sparked debate around Madrid. With a presidential election on the horizon, the club may have to ask itself whether it is making the right decisions regarding Spanish players — and whether it should strengthen its commitment to them even further.
What did De la Fuente say?
“I don’t look at where the players come from,” De la Fuente told a press conference on Monday, when asked about the absence of Real Madrid players. “They’re national team players, I don’t look at one club or another. I don’t have the same local bias that a fan might have. All I want is for these players to feel proud to represent the national team.”
Asked specifically about the omissions of defenders Huijsen and Le Normand, the 64-year-old replied: “Rather than focus on absences, let me tell you why Garcia and Pubill are on the list.
“We felt it was the right time and we made that decision because they’re having a great season. I already said there were players who hadn’t been with us and who were going to be. Eric has been with me since the under-19s and I know Pubill from his time in the under-21s and the Olympic squad.”
De la Fuente was also asked about Yamal’s fitness as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury sustained in April. He said Spain would not “rush” any players back but said they were prepared to take “risks” given the magnitude of the World Cup.
“We are not going to accelerate any process,” he said. “With the medical reports that we have and how closely we have monitored the process, we believe every player in this squad will be available for the first game, or the second at most in some cases.
“We are not going to rush anyone, but this is a World Cup and at some point of the competition if we have to risk, we will do it. If players do not play in some game, it’s because I believe they don’t have to.”
Spain 2026 World Cup squad in full
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Club), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan Garcia (Barcelona)
Defenders: Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Club), Marc Pubill (Atletico Madrid), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Pedro Porro (Tottenham)
Midfielders: Pedri (Barcelona), Fabian Ruiz (PSG), Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Gavi (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid), Mikel Merino (Arsenal)
Forwards: Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo), Victor Munoz (Osasuna), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)