Is this a prestigious club? It's an embarrassment for Real Madrid. Real Madrid players have completely disappeared from the Spain national team.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation on the 26th announced the final 26-man roster for the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup. The most eye-catching player was, as expected, Lamine Yamal. Yamal will step onto the World Cup finals stage for the first time in his life. Having already experienced winning Euro 2024, Yamal is expected to be Spain's key forward in this tournament.
Meanwhile, not a single player from Real Madrid made the final squad. It is highly unusual for Real Madrid players to be completely absent from Spain's World Cup team. In the past there were times when Real and Barcelona players completely divided the national team. What a change of eras.
The recent omission of defender Dean Huijsen was received as a shock. In addition, veteran Dani Carvajal did not even make the initial 55-man preliminary list. Atlético Madrid defender Robin Le Normand was also ultimately left out, and Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez was excluded due to a foot injury.
Coach Luis de la Fuente explained the player selection criteria, saying, "I do not consider whether a player belongs to a particular club," and "I selected 26 players after considering the opponent, the flow of the game and the roles needed."
The goalkeepers named were Unai Simón, David Raya and Juan García.
The defense was made up of Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill, Eric García, Marcos Llorente and Pedro Porro.
In midfield were Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Martín Zubimendi, Gavi, Rodri, Álex Baena and Mikel Merino.
In attack, centered on Yamal, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, Mikel Oyarzabal, Yeremy Pino, Borja Iglesias and Víctor Muñoz will be responsible.
Spain were knocked out in the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, but after winning Euro 2024 they reemerged as a candidate for the world's best. In this tournament Spain will face Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H of the group stage.
Coach de la Fuente expressed confidence about Yamal, Nico Williams and Mikel Merino, whose fitness had been a concern, saying, "If there are no special variables they should be able to play from the first match."
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