No Real Madrid players included as Spain confirm World Cup Squad

Spain national football team coach Luis de la Fuente named his 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday, with no Real Madrid players included for the first time in the nation’s World Cup history.

Lamine Yamal made the squad despite a hamstring injury that could rule him out of Spain’s opening group matches against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia. Spain expect the 18-year-old to return later in the tournament, potentially against Uruguay in the final group game.

Gavi also returned after recovering from a long-term knee injury. The FC Barcelona midfielder started seven of Barcelona’s final eight matches of the season and convinced De la Fuente he was ready for the tournament.

Spain also included goalkeeper Joan Garcia and defender Eric Garcia after strong domestic campaigns. Athletic Club winger Nico Williams kept his place despite missing the final three league matches of the season with a hamstring problem.

The biggest omission came in defence. Dean Huijsen missed out despite strong performances during the season. De la Fuente instead selected Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia and Marc Pubill among his defensive options. Atletico Madrid defender Robin Le Normand also failed to make the final squad.

Spain will play warm-up matches against Iraq on June 4 and Peru on June 8 before travelling into the tournament. La Roja open their World Cup campaign against Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15 before facing Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H.

The squad also underlined Barcelona’s growing influence on the national side. Several key players arrived from the Catalan club, while Spain again overlooked Real Madrid talent after already leaving Madrid players out of the Euro 2020 squad.

Spain won Euro 2024 under De la Fuente and head into the World Cup as one of Europe’s strongest squads despite fitness concerns around several attacking players.