Spain will head to the World Cup without a single Real Madrid player for the first time in their history, after manager Luis de la Fuente named his 26-man squad for this summer's tournament. Real stars such as Dean Huijsen, Dani Carvajal and Gonzalo García were omitted, while Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, who tore his left hamstring on 22 April, was included despite fitness concerns.
De la Fuente expressed confidence in Yamal's availability, stating: 'We're very calm. I think that if there are no setbacks, we can almost have everyone available from the first game.' The 18-year-old missed the remainder of Barcelona's La Liga campaign but is expected to be ready for Spain's opener.
Also absent from the squad are injured Barcelona midfielder Fermín López and Como forward Álvaro Morata, who captained Spain to victory at the 2024 European Championship. De la Fuente acknowledged the difficulty of leaving players out, saying: 'We think about every possible scenario... I don't look at whether they play for one team or another.'
Spain, ranked second in the world, are in Group H alongside Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. They begin their campaign against Cape Verde on 15 June in Atlanta, followed by matches against Saudi Arabia on 21 June and Uruguay on 26 June in Guadalajara. The 2010 champions will warm up with friendlies against Iraq and Peru.
