No Dean Huijsen as Spain's World Cup 2026 squad is confirmed

Football

Preparations for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada have entered the next stage after coach Luis de la Fuente finalised his group ahead of a series of warm-up fixtures

Jorge Garrido / Javier Varela

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has confirmed the 26-player squad that will travel to the 2026 World Cup, ending weeks of speculation ahead of the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The squad, announced on Monday, combines experienced internationals with emerging talent as Spain target a second World Cup title.

In the goalkeeping department, De la Fuente opted against taking an additional uncapped reserve goalkeeper and instead selected three senior options. Athletic Club's Unai Simón is expected to remain first choice after previously helping Spain win the European Championship and Nations League.

He will be backed up by Arsenal's David Raya and Barcelona's Joan García.

Revamped defence

The biggest surprise came in defence. The defensive group includes established figures such as Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao) and Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), alongside younger, less experienced options such as Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona), Eric García (Barcelona) and the uncapped Marc Pubill (Atlético).

Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro also earns a place after missing out on previous major tournaments and will compete with Atlético's Marcos Llorente for a starting berth.

However, these call-ups surprisingly come at the expense of Malaga CF academy product Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid) and Robin Le Normand (Atlético), who had been the established pair for De la Fuente in the most recent Nations League campaign.

Continuity

The midfield largely reflects the core that has defined recent years. Manchester City's Rodri returns after recovering from a serious knee injury and is expected to play a central role.

Barcelona trio Pedri, Gavi and Dani Olmo were also included, while Arsenal pair Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Merino retain their places.

Paris Saint-Germain's Fabián, from Seville, and Almeria-born Álex Baena (Atlético) were among the other selections.

In attack, teenage star Lamine Yamal heads a forward line that also includes Nico Williams (Athletic), Yéremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Víctor Muñoz (Osasuna), Ferran Torres (Barcelona) and Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad).

Veteran striker Borja Iglesias (Celta de Vigo) was selected as the only out-and-out new centre forward option in the squad.

Training camp

The squad announcement completes Spain's World Cup selection process and finalises the group that will attempt to add another star to the national team's shirt.

Players are due to begin reporting for training on 30 May, before a programme of preparatory matches against Iraq (4 June) and Peru (9 June).

Spain will then begin their World Cup campaign with group stage matches against Cape Verde (15 June), Saudi Arabia (21 June) and Uruguay (27 June).