Spain’s 2026 World Cup squad shocks fans as it has no Real Madrid players
Spain finally announced their 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, and while the Euro 2024 champions remain one of the favorites for the tournament, the biggest talking point has quickly become 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 as runners-up in the 2025 UEFA Nations League, has named a team dominated by Barcelona in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
And fans were left stunned after Real Madrid stars Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia were left out of the final squad despite high expectations surrounding their inclusion.
Even former captain Alvaro Morata, who led Spain to Euro 2024 triumph, did not make it.
Barcelona, meanwhile, had the highest representation in the squad with names such as Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Gavi, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Ferran Torres and goalkeeper Joan Garcia.
NO REAL MADRID PLAYERS IN THE SPANISH SQUAD
Real Madrid’s absence immediately became one of the biggest talking points surrounding the announcement of the Spanish team for the World Cup.
In particular, fans expected Dean Huijsen to be included following his rapid rise last year, while Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras were also seen as realistic options given Spain’s depth concerns in defensive areas.
Instead, Luis de la Fuente has opted for continuity around a core group that has helped Spain dominate possession-based football during their recent international success.
The Spanish defensive unit will now be led by the likes of Marc Cucurella, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte and Pedro Porro, while the midfield once again revolves around Pedri, Martin Zubimendi, Fabian Ruiz and Gavi.
In attack, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres and Borja Iglesias are the main options alongside teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.
However, Barcelona’s teenage superstar is expected to miss Spain’s World Cup opener against Cape Verde due to injury concerns.
Spain will also be without midfielder Fermin Lopez, who underwent surgery on a broken foot last week.
SPAIN ENTER WORLD CUP AS TITLE WINNERS
Spain head into the 2026 FIFA World Cup as one of the strong favorites following their resurgence under Luis de la Fuente over the past two years.
After winning UEFA Euro 2024 with an exciting young core mixed with experienced midfield control, Spain followed it up with another strong run in the UEFA Nations League before finishing runners-up earlier this year.
The team announcement also came relatively late compared to several other World Cup countries, making Real Madrid’s omission even more debated among fans online.
Spain have been drawn in Group H along with Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
La Roja begin their World Cup campaign against Cape Verde on June 14 after playing warm-up matches against Iraq and Peru earlier in the month.
Spain squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeepers:
Unai Simon, David Raya, Joan Garcia
Defenders:
Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill, Eric Garcia, Marcos Llorente, Pedro Porro
Reserves:
Pedri, Fabian Ruiz, Martin Zubimendi, Gavi, Rodrigo, Alex Baena, Mikel Merino
Attackers:
Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Yeremy Pino, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Victor Munoz, Lamine Yamal
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
25 May 2026 17:00 IST
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