The squad for the World Cup, kicking off on June 11th in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is notable for featuring eight FC Barcelona players: Joan Garcia, Pau Cubarsí, Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Ferran, and Eric Garcia. In contrast, no Real Madrid players have been selected, with Dean Huijsen and Gonzalo left out. This marks the first time in history that a World Cup squad has no representatives from the Madrid club.
The list also includes three players from Atlético de Madrid (Pubill, Llorente, and Baena), with Marc Pubill and Víctor Muñoz being notable new additions. Seven players compete in the English Premier League, one in the German Bundesliga (Grimaldo), and another in the French Ligue 1 (Fabián Ruiz). Furthermore, twelve players are repeat inclusions from Luis Enrique's 2022 World Cup squad.
“"I am the coach and I don't look at where the players come from. They are national team players, I don't look at one team or another. I don't have that localism that a fan might have. The only thing I want is for these footballers to feel the pride of representing the national team."
Coach Luis de la Fuente defended his selection as "well-matured" and stated he has no "localism," aiming only for the best for the national team. He justified the inclusion of Eric Garcia and Joan Garcia, highlighting their reliability and quality. De la Fuente also embraced the favorite tag for winning the World Cup, while acknowledging the strength of other national teams.
The team's preparation will commence in Las Rozas with friendlies in A Coruña (against Iraq) and in Puebla (Mexico, against Peru), before facing their group stage opponents: Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay.
