Updated: 25 May 2026 14:56 BST |
5 min read
Spain head into the 2026 World Cup as one of the favourites to win the entire tournament and this is due to the superstar players they have at their disposal as well as their philosophy on the pitch.
La Roja are coming off a sensational victory at the European Championships in 2024 after beating England in the final and although this is a new iteration of the Spanish national team under the tutelage of Luis de la Fuente, it is still ingrained with the Tiki-Taka style that saw the nation dominate world football for a decade.
“We have to be cautious, despite being favourites,” the 64-year-old said after the squad was confirmed.
“We have to go with our feet on the ground. I don’t shy away, we are favourites, but we’re equally as favourites as England or France. The most critical process is scouting players, but the most painful part is leaving out players who are good enough to be there.”
The squad for the World Cup was announced on Monday and there is one major, major headline from it.
That is the fact that, for the first time in the history of the Spanish national team, there has been no player called up who currently plays for Real Madrid.
𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬’𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦.
Our 26.#VamosEspaña | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/yYTZVkzwei— Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) May 25, 2026
There was only really two Spanish Madrid players in contention to be called up and that was Dean Huijsen and Dani Carvajal, but the former has had a tough debut season with Los Blancos, while the latter will actually be without a club this summer after his Real Madrid departure was confirmed.
Gonzalo Garcia, the young striker, didn’t feature enough in the second half of the campaign to ever truly merit an inclusion and the same could be said for centre-back Raul Asencio.
Real Madrid players have been a key part of the success of Spain over the years, with captains like Raul and Fernando Hierro paving the way for the likes of Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso and Carvajal to win everything possible.
On the other side of the Clasico divide, eight Barcelona players have been called up – a testament to the success of their homegrown La Masia system. Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, and Lamine Yamal are included.
Here’s how Spain will likely line-up at the World Cup if everyone is fit.
(4-3-3): Simon; Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Yamal, Oyarzabal, Williams.
Now, we already know that Barca superstar Yamal will likely not be fit for Spain’s opening game against Cape Verde on 15 June due to a hamstring injury, but there’s no real need to rush him back as the team will have more than enough to win before tougher fixtures against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
Yeremy Pino may be the man to deputise for Yamal in that opener but expect the latter to be back by the second match, as per numerous reports from Spain.
Unai Simon is the favoured keeper by De la Fuente despite the fantastic perfomances by Premier League winner David Raya for Arsenal this season.
Marcos Llorente will likely be asked to play at right-back – which he has done plenty of times before – and it’s actually a good way to get his legs into the team without interrupting the three-man midfield of Pedri, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz.
Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi will likely be trusted at centre-back but Eric Garcia and Marc Pubill are options too, while Marc Cucurella has made the left-back spot his own.
With no top-class centre-forwards in the squad, Mikel Oyarzabal may be asked to play through the middle again, flanked by Yamal and Nico Williams, though Dani Olmo, Borga Iglesias and Ferran Torres are options, too.
Spain got their hands on the World Cup trophy after winning the 2010 edition of the tournament in South Africa.
You can get your own hands on a different kind of World Cup trophy thanks to LEGO© who have released a limited edition World Cup set especially for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
There’s also the World Cup emblem set which shows the official logo for the tournament.
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ is set to be the biggest tournament in the competition’s history, and LEGO© is tapping into football fever with a new range designed for supporters, collectors and younger fans alike.
