Luis de la Fuente has announced the Spain World Cup squad that will be traveling to North America this summer to compete in the FIFA World Cup. The 26-man list includes de la Fuente’s regulars from the Euro 2024 triumph, mixed in with some new faces and surprising omissions. Let’s take a look at the Spain World Cup squad and the men who make it up.
Spain World Cup Squad: Goalkeepers
| Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Unai Simón (vice-captain) | Athletic Bilbao | 28 |
| David Raya | Arsenal | 30 |
| Joan Garcia | Barcelona | 25 |
Unai Simón remains untouchable between the sticks for Spain. Fans have called for him to be demoted in favor of either David Raya or Joan Garcia as Spain’s No. 1, but Luis de la Fuente remains adamant with the Athletic Bilbao shot-stopper.
Hierarchy is a major factor in de la Fuente teams, as we will see many more times in this article. Out of these three, Unai Simón arguably had the least impressive domestic season. David Raya and Joan Garcia both won their respective Golden Gloves and league titles, while Simón and Athletic finished 12th in the table.
David Raya is the oldest of the bunch, but also the best one in terms of present form. While Unai Simón may start, David Raya could be used against teams that utilize high pressing. Raya’s skill as a sweeper and his accurate long balls could easily tempt de la Fuente into a change if needed.
Joan Garcia, the man who controversially moved from RCD Espanyol to city rivals FC Barcelona last summer, will not be regretting that move at all. In the last 12 months, he has become a La Liga and Supercopa champion, won the Zamora Trophy, and punched his ticket to the World Cup. The 25-year-old has spectacular reflexes and, just like the others on this list, acts as a fifth defender when building out from the back.
Spain World Cup Squad: The Defense
| Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Aymeric Laporte | Athletic Bilbao | 31 |
| Marc Cucurella | Chelsea | 27 |
| Marcos Llorente | Atlético Madrid | 31 |
| Eric García | Barcelona | 25 |
| Pedro Porro | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 |
| Álex Grimaldo | Bayer Leverkusen | 30 |
| Pau Cubarsí | Barcelona | 19 |
| Marc Pubill | Atlético Madrid | 22 |
Prodigies, utility and experience – the Spanish defence is ready to protect the crest from oncoming attacks.
Pau Cubarsí, who missed out on the 2024 European Championship, has now been called up for the World Cup. At just 19, it is difficult to believe that the Barcelona center-back is still so young. While he did have a few costly moments for Barca this season, the majority of the time he played like a seasoned veteran. Ranked by Sports Illustrated and ESPN as one of the best center-backs in world soccer, Cubarsí’s greatest skill is his anticipation and line-breaking passes from deep areas.
Giving him company will be Aymeric Laporte, the French-born Athletic Club defender who is the most experienced center-back in the Spain World Cup squad. Having already won two trophies with Spain since switching his nationality, Laporte will be keen to complete the triple crown by adding the World Cup to his cabinet alongside the Nations League and European Championship.
The Flanks
Flanking them are Marc Cucurella and Álex Grimaldo at left back, with Pedro Porro and Marcos Llorente on the right side. The contrasting profiles of Cucurella and Grimaldo give Spain a completely different dimension in transition. Cucurella provides endless energy and defensive aggression, while Grimaldo is essentially a deep-lying playmaker deployed at left back whose passing range could be crucial against low-block opponents.
The right side provides enormous flexibility. Marcos Llorente can play virtually anywhere on the field: right back, wing-back, winger, or central midfield. This would allow de la Fuente to alter tactical setups mid-game without substitutions. Pedro Porro, meanwhile, remains one of the best crossers of the ball in European soccer. Eric García also offers utility value, capable of operating at center-back, right-back, or defensive midfield.
Spain World Cup Squad: Midfielders
| Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Rodri (captain) | Manchester City | 29 |
| Dani Olmo | Barcelona | 28 |
| Mikel Merino | Arsenal | 29 |
| Fabián Ruiz | Paris Saint-Germain | 30 |
| Pedri | Barcelona | 23 |
| Gavi | Barcelona | 21 |
| Martín Zubimendi | Arsenal | 27 |
For other nations, the attack wins them trophies. For Spain, as history repeatedly shows, it is the midfield.
Rodri arrives at this tournament as the undisputed best holding midfielder of his generation. Rodri had previously been forced into more defensive roles to accommodate Sergio Busquets in earlier years. With Busquets now gone, this World Cup may finally allow Rodri to completely dominate in his natural position for Spain.
Ahead of him, the Barcelona trio of Pedri, Gavi, and Dani Olmo can arguably carry an entire midfield on their own. If Rodri is the spiritual successor to Busquets, Pedri is to Andrés Iniesta. Few midfielders in world soccer see the game like Pedri. His feints, agility, and resistance under pressure make him nearly impossible to press effectively.
The Spanish midfield is dominated by Barcelona and the Basque Country.
Gavi is the aggressive counterpart to Pedri’s elegance. While his inclusion raised eyebrows, a physical midfield profile like his is absolutely crucial in big tournaments. Dani Olmo functions as the unofficial second striker, drifting between lines before suddenly appearing around the penalty area to finish attacks.
The Arsenal duo of Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi arrive after a triumphant Premier League campaign. Zubimendi remains one of Europe’s finest positional midfielders and can seamlessly replace Rodri without changing Spain’s structure. Merino, meanwhile, provides aerial dominance, physicality, and late runs into the box.
Lastly, Fabián Ruiz and Álex Baena will both be playing in their first World Cup. Ruiz offers progressive ball carrying and final-third creativity, while Baena’s ability to create from half-spaces makes him one of the wild cards in the Spain World Cup squad.
Spain World Cup Squad: The Attack
| Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Ferran Torres | Barcelona | 26 |
| Mikel Oyarzabal | Real Sociedad | 29 |
| Nico Williams | Athletic Bilbao | 23 |
| Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | 18 |
| Yéremy Pino | Crystal Palace | 23 |
| Álex Baena | Atlético Madrid | 24 |
| Borja Iglesias | Celta Vigo | 33 |
| Víctor Muñoz | Osasuna | 22 |
Everything about Spain’s attack revolves around one player: Lamine Yamal.
The 18-year-old is undoubtedly the player the entire world will tune in to watch. The Barcelona wonderkid, who already has a European Championship, two Kopa Trophies, and a Ballon d’Or runner-up finish, no longer enters tournaments as a teenage prodigy. He is now a global superstar.
He has already produced 49 career goals and 45 assists for Barcelona despite still being a teenager. The winger also shared the 2025-26 Zarra Trophy as Spain’s top domestic scorer with Ferran Torres after both scored 16 La Liga goals this season. At Euro 2024, he became the youngest player ever to score in the tournament and won Young Player of the Tournament after helping Spain lift the trophy.
On the opposite flank, his partner in crime Nico Williams provides devastating pace and directness. The Athletic Club winger has struggled with injuries domestically, but for Spain he thrives in isolation situations and stretches defenses to breaking point.
When Spain needs a change of pace, Crystal Palace winger Yéremy Pino offers Premier League-hardened directness and relentless pressing, while Osasuna breakout star Víctor Muñoz comes in as a wildcard.
The #9 Question
Few players in European soccer divide opinion like Ferran Torres, yet his numbers remain consistently productive. Sharing the Zarra Trophy with Yamal means he enters the tournament as the joint-highest scoring Spanish player in La Liga this season. His performances for Spain have also quietly pushed him into the nation’s all-time top-10 scoring charts.
But perhaps no player in this Spain World Cup squad is trusted more by de la Fuente than Mikel Oyarzabal. His winning goal in the Euro 2024 final against England permanently secured his place in Spanish soccer history. Oyarzabal has rewarded his manager’s faith with 17 goals in his last 26 appearances for Spain. However, he is not a physical No. 9. That is where Borja Iglesias comes in. The veteran striker offers a bruising, aerially dominant profile capable of pinning center-backs and attacking crosses whenever Spain is forced to abandon patient buildup play.
Few teams in this tournament possess Spain’s balance between youth and experience. Even fewer can match the technical superiority and squad depth that La Roja brings to North America. For the first time since 2010, the Spain World Cup squad enters the tournament as an outright favorite to win it all. They are ready.
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