Spain finally announced their 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Saturday and while the Euro 2024 champions remain one of the favorites for the tournament, the biggest talking point became the complete absence of Real Madrid players from Luis de la Fuente’s squad.

The Spain head coach, who guided La Roja to UEFA Euro 2024 glory before finishing runners-up in the UEFA Nations League 2025, has selected a Barcelona-dominated squad for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

And fans were left stunned when Real Madrid stars Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia were left out of the final squad despite strong expectations of their inclusion.

Even former captain Alvaro Morata, who led Spain to Euro 2024 triumph, failed to make a place.

Barcelona, ​​meanwhile, had the most representation in the squad, with names like Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Gavi, Pau Cubarci, Eric García, Ferran Torres and goalkeeper Joan García.

No Real Madrid player in Spain team

The absence of Real Madrid representation immediately became the biggest talking point surrounding the announcement of Spain’s World Cup squad.

Fans were particularly hopeful that Dean Huijsen would be included after his rapid rise over the previous year, while Fran García and Álvaro Carreras were also seen as realistic options given Spain’s deep concerns in defensive areas.

Instead, Luis de la Fuente opted for continuity around the core group that helped Spain dominate possession-based football during their recent international success.

Spain’s defensive unit will now be led by the likes of Marc Cucurella, Pau Cubbarsi, Aymeric Laporte and Pedro Porro, while the midfield will once again revolve around Pedri, Martin Zubimendi, Fabian Ruiz and Gavi.

In attack, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres and Borja Iglesias top the options along with teenage sensation Lamin Yamal.

However, Barcelona’s teenage superstar is expected to miss Spain’s opening World Cup match against Cape Verde due to injury concerns.

Spain will also be without midfielder Fermin Lopez as he underwent surgery after suffering a fractured foot last week.

Spain enters the World Cup as title contenders

Spain are heading into the FIFA World Cup 2026 as one of the strongest favorites after a resurgence under Luis de la Fuente over the past two years.

After winning UEFA Euro 2024 with an exciting young core combined with experienced midfield control, Spain produced another strong performance in the UEFA Nations League before finishing runners-up earlier this year.

The team announcement also came relatively late compared to many other World Cup nations, making Real Madrid’s omission even more discussed among online supporters.

Spain has been drawn in Group H along with Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.

La Roja began their World Cup campaign against Cape Verde on 14 June after playing warm-up friendlies against Iraq and Peru at the beginning of the month.

spain fifa world cup 2026 squad

Goalkeeper:

Unai Simon, David Raya, Joan Garcia

defenders: :

Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo, Pau Cubersi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pabil, Eric Garcia, Marcos Llorente, Pedro Porro

midfielder: :

Pedri, Fabian Ruiz, Martin Zubimendi, Gavi, Rodrigo, Alex Baena, Mikel Merino

Ahead: :

Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Jeremy Pino, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Victor Munoz, Lamin Yamal

– ends