Injured Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams Included In Spain's Squad For FIFA World Cup 2026; No Real Madrid Stars Named

Injured forwards Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams were included in Spain's World Cup squad.

Yamal and Williams sustained muscle injuries late in the season, but coach Luis de la Fuente said he expects them to be fit for the start of the World Cup.

Spain opens its campaign against Cape Verde in Group H on June 15 in Atlanta. It then faces Saudi Arabia on June 21 in Atlanta and Uruguay on June 26 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

For the first time, there won’t be a Real Madrid player in a Spain World Cup party. Defender Dean Huijsen was among the contenders for a place, but he was left out by De la Fuente.

Out, as expected, was Barcelona midfielder Fermín López, who sustained a fracture on his right foot this month.

Midfielder Mikel Merino, who played only once for Arsenal since injuring his foot in January, is back in the Spain squad. Also included, despite a recent injury, is Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Fabián Ruiz.

Spain’s preparations will begin on Saturday. It plays warm-up matches against Iraq on June 4 and Peru on June 9.

It rebounded from a round-of-16 elimination by Morocco at the 2022 World Cup by winning Euro 2024 in Germany. La Roja also won the 2023 Nations League and was runner-up to Portugal in the 2025 edition.

Spain hasn’t gone further than the last 16 in the World Cup since its lone title triumph in 2010.

Spain's Squad For FIFA World Cup 2026:

Goalkeepers: Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan García (Barcelona).

Defenders: Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Eric García (Barcelona), Marc Pubill (Atletico Madrid).

Midfielders: Rodri (Manchester City), Martín Zubimendi (Arsenal), Pedri (Barcelona), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Mikel Merino (Arsenal), Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain), Gavi (Barcelona).

Forwards: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Yéremi Pino (Crystal Palace), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Víctor Muñoz (Osasuna), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid), Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao).