Real Madrid iced out of Spain’s World Cup squad
Spain announced its 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday and no players from La Liga giant Real Madrid were named to the squad.
While Los Blancos won’t be represented on the Spanish team, injured forwards Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams did make the cut.
Let’s get into Spain’s squad for this year’s World Cup.
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Spain FIFA World Cup
Yamal and Williams are both dealing with muscle injuries suffered late in the season, but coach Luis de la Fuente expects them to be ready for the World Cup.
“We are not going to speed up any process, we are in coordination with the clubs,” De la Fuente said. “The information we have is that they will all be ready for the first or second match. You always want to be careful, but if there’s a time when they players may want to take risks, it’s at the World Cup.”
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino is on the squad despite only playing once since January because of a foot injury. Paris-Saint Germain midfielder Fabian Ruiz is also on the squad after suffering fractured left kneecap earlier in the season.
One of the surprise Real Madrid snubs was defender Dean Huijsen.
“I don’t look at the clubs, these are national team players,” De la Fuente said. “The only thing I want is for them to be proud of representing the national team. I don’t look at it like maybe the fans may look at it.”
The hits keep coming for Los Blancos as eight players from rival Barcelona, the back-to-back reigning La Liga champions, were named to the squad. Meanwhile, Real Madrid has now gone two straight seasons without winning a major trophy.
Of course, Madrid will have players who represent other nations, including France’s Kylian Mbappe, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and England’s Jude Bellingham.
Spain begins ramping up for the World Cup on Saturday before playing friendlies against Iraq on June 4 and Peru on June 9.
Spain 2026 FIFA World Cup squad
Spain opens the World Cup against Group H opponent Cape Verde on June 15 in Atlanta. Next, they will stay in Atlanta to face Saudi Arabia on June 21 before travelling to Guadalajara, Mexico to end the group stage against Uruguay on June 26.
| Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao) | Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) | Rodri (Manchester City) | Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) |
| David Raya (Arsenal) | Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen) | Martín Zubimendi (Arsenal) | Yéremi Pino (Crystal Palace) |
| Joan García (Barcelona) | Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid) | Pedri (Barcelona) | Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) |
| Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona) | Mikel Merino (Arsenal) | Víctor Muñoz (Osasuna) | |
| Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao) | Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain) | Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo) | |
| Pedro Porro (Tottenham) | Gavi (Barcelona) | Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao) | |
| Eric García (Barcelona) | Álex Baena (Atletico Madrid) | Dani Olmo (Barcelona) | |
| Marc Pubill (Atletico Madrid) | Ferran Torres (Barcelona) |