The Spanish national team has announced the list of 26 players who will participate in the 2026 World Cup, but none of them are from Real Madrid club - a milestone that has never happened in the previous 16 World Cups of La Roja.
Coach Luis de la Fuente has decided not to call up young and potential center-back Dean Huijsen, the last name still considered a hope for Real Madrid. Veteran defender Dani Carvajal is also not named even though he was once the vice-captain of the Spanish national team that won EURO 2024. Meanwhile, Fran Garcia and Gonzalo are only considered backup options.
De la Fuente rejected the opinion that this decision could cause him to lose the support from Real Madrid fans.
For me, the greatest team, truly the greatest - is the Spanish national team. I don't care about the origin or background of the players. The important thing is that Spanish players are proud to represent the national team of their country and be part of a unified nation," Mr. De la Fuente told the Spanish media.
While Real Madrid has no players participating, Barcelona - their rival - has up to 8 people called up for the 2026 World Cup including Joan Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Gavi, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres. In addition, 7 players playing in the Premier League are also called up to attend the upcoming World Cup.
According to De la Fuente, he made this decision based on sports elements, although it will certainly cause controversy. He said that the Spanish national team coaching staff had the same view on the 23 selected players, only disagreeing about 3 people. He was the one who made the final decision.
When asked if the Spanish team is a bright candidate for the championship, Mr. De la Fuente said: "We don't consider ourselves a championship candidate, but we feel like we have a chance to win, like many other teams. There are 10 teams with a chance to win, and we are among them. In football, even if you are better than your opponent, you can still lose.
The only time the Spanish national team won the World Cup was in 2010. Since then, the team nicknamed La Roja has only won 3 matches in this arena. At the 2022 World Cup, the Spanish national team under the guidance of Luis Enrique was eliminated by Morocco in the round of 16.
This year, the Spanish national team is in Group H with the Uruguayan national team, Saudi Arabia and newcomer Cape Verde. Coach De la Fuente emphasized that he will be cautious in using Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Mikel Merino, players who are in the process of physical recovery.
His goal with the Spanish team is not only to win in the opening match but also to aim to go deep in the tournament, so using the force reasonably is very important. He said: "If we have to take risks, we will take risks at the World Cup. But... our vision does not stop at the first match but also the second match. So, if we have to wait a little longer, we will wait.
According to the schedule, the Spanish national team will play friendly matches with the Iraqi and Peruvian national teams before entering the journey to conquer the World Cup.
