Injured forwards Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams were included Monday in Spain’s World Cup squad but, for the first time, La Roja won’t be traveling with any Real Madrid players.
Yamal and Williams sustained muscle injuries late in the season. Coach Luis de la Fuente, though, expects them to be fit for the start of soccer’s showcase event.
“We are not going to speed up any process, we are in coordination with the clubs,” De la Fuente said. “The information we have is that they will all be ready for the first or the second match. You always want to be careful, but if there’s a time when the players may want to take risks, it’s at 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.
Defender Dean Huijsen was among the Madrid players contending for a place in Spain’s squad but he was left out.
“I don’t look at the clubs, these are national team players,” De la Fuente said. “The only thing I want is for them to be proud of representing the national team. I don’t look at it like maybe the fans may look at it.”
Eight players are from Madrid rival Barcelona, the Spanish league champion for two years in a row. Madrid, meanwhile, endured its second consecutive season without a major title.
Madrid will have players at the World Cup featuring for other nations, including France’s Kylian Mbappé, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and England’s Jude Bellingham.
Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez, who sustained a fracture on his right foot this month, is sidelined for Spain as expected.
Midfielder Mikel Merino, who played only once for Arsenal since injuring his foot in January, is back in the squad. Also included despite a recent injury is Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Fabian Ruiz.
Spain’s preparations will begin on Saturday. It plays warmup 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.
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Squad:
Goalkeepers: Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan Garcia (Barcelona)
Defenders: Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Marc Pubill (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Rodri (Manchester City), Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Pedri (Barcelona), Mikel Merino (Arsenal), Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain), Gavi (Barcelona), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Yéremi Pino (Crystal Palace), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Victor Munoz (Osasuna), Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Ferran Torres (Barcelona)
Reporting by the Associated Press.
