Spain coach Luis de la Fuente on Monday named a 26-man Spain World Cup squad in Madrid that includes 18-year-old Lamine Yamal and, in a first for the country, contains no Real Madrid players.
The list — finalised ahead of the tournament that runs from 11 June to 19 July — features seven Premier League players and three goalkeepers: Unai Simón, David Raya and Joan García. Spain open Group H on 15 June against Cape Verde, then face Saudi Arabia on 21 June and Uruguay on 26 June.
De la Fuente pushed back on club-based explanations for selections. "I don't look at one club or another. I don't have that local bias a fan might have. For me, it's more global," he said, adding: "The only thing I want is for these footballers to feel proud of representing the national team."
The numerical weight of the pick is clear: 26 names, drawn from La Liga and abroad, with seven of them plying their trade in England. The named Premier League contributors include David Raya, Martin Zubimendi, Pedro Porro, Marc Cucurella, Rodri and Yeremy Pino, while Mikel Merino — whose return to action in Arsenal's last Premier League game after four months out with a stress fracture in the foot was recorded on Sunday — gives the squad another fitness variable to monitor.
The most striking single detail is what is missing. Real Madrid, long a major supplier of Spain internationals, supplied no players to the final list — the first time that has happened in Spain's 17 World Cup participations since 1934. Among the Madrid players omitted were defender Dean Huijsen and full-back Dani Carvajal. Huijsen, who joined Madrid last summer for £50 million, saw shaky club form cited as a factor that damaged his chances; Carvajal, who was vice‑captain when Spain won the European Championship in Germany in 2024, was not included even in De la Fuente's earlier 55‑strong provisional squad.
The presence of Lamine Yamal, in that light, is a notable selection. Yamal, 18, missed the final month of the season after tearing his left hamstring on 22 April while playing for Barcelona, yet he was included in the tournament group. De la Fuente sought to reassure on availability: "We're very relaxed. Barring any setbacks, we'll have everyone available from the very first match," he said, stressing the mood in the camp — "Excitement is the key word. Passion" — and the public reaction that has rallied behind the team.
Context for the Madrid omissions is compact: Real did not win a trophy this season and finished eight points behind La Liga champions Barcelona, a rare dip that left several high-profile names exposed to omission. That backdrop, combined with form and fitness questions at the player level, explains how a national squad tied to recent continental success — Spain lifted the European Championship in 2024 — can nevertheless contain no representatives from the country's most storied club.
Practical details fans will want: Spain's three group games come inside two weeks, so the squad will need to be match‑fit from the outset; De la Fuente has signalled confidence in his players' health, but selection choices mean monitoring training updates and any late fitness news will matter more than usual. The Premier League contingent and the three named goalkeepers give the coach tactical options, while Yamal's recovery will be watched closely in the build-up.
The clearest unresolved question now is whether any of the Real Madrid players left out — including Huijsen and Carvajal — will win their way back into De la Fuente's plans for the next major international cycle. That absence, unprecedented in Spain's World Cup history, leaves spectators and the club alike waiting for the next chapter in the national team's selection story.
