Spain is one of the favourites for World Cup 2026, and coach Luis de la Fuente announced his list on Monday, with the likes of Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Pedri, Rodri, and Cucurella. However, for the first time in history, no Real Madrid players were called for the national team, in contrast with Barcelona, who has eight.
A few weeks ago it was known that Dani Carvajal, who was captain at the UEFA Euro 2024 winning team two years ago, had not been included in the pre-list squad. Without him, the only realistic option for Real Madrid to have a representation at the World Cup was defender Dean Huijsen, who had appeared multiple times in the last year, but was left out, with de la Fuente choosing Marc Pubill from Atlético de Madrid and Eric García from Barcelona.
After reminding silent for a couple of days, Huijsen posted a short message on social media. "Congratulations to my teammates who will go to World Cup, I will be supporting them from home as any other Spaniard".
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Spain squad for 2026 World Cup
Goalkeepers:
Unai Simón (Athletic Club)
David Raya (Arsenal)
Joan García (Barcelona)
Defenders:
Marc Cucurella (Chelsea)
Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona)
Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Club)
Álejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)
Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur)
Eric García (Barcelona)
Marcos Llorente (Atlético Madrid)
Marc Pubill (Atlético Madrid)
Midfielders:
Gavi (Barcelona)
Rodri (Manchester City)
Pedri (Barcelona)
Martín Zubimendi (Arsenal)
Fabián Ruiz (PSG)
Álex Baena (Atlético Madrid)
Mikel Merino (Arsenal)
Forwards:
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Nico Williams (Athletic Club)
Dani Olmo (Barcelona)
Ferran Torres (Barcelona)
Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad)
Yéremy Pino (Crystal Palace)
Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo)
Víctor Muñoz (Osasuna)