The 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally underway. North America is currently hosting the biggest, most sprawling iteration of the tournament ever seen, with 48 teams scattered across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The opening matches kicked off on Thursday, 11th June, and the whole circus runs until Sunday, 19th July. It is a massive spectacle.
Yet, away from the sheer scale of the event, one side has arrived on the continent backed by genuine, heavy expectation. Spain. The European champions are currently on an astonishing 33-match unbeaten run in competitive football. They sit second in the FIFA rankings. This isn’t just a side that looks pretty on paper; they look like the finished article.
Spain 26-Man Full Squad
Luis de la Fuente locked in his final 26-man selection back on 25th May. Here is the list in full:
- Goalkeepers: Unai Simón, David Raya, Joan Garcia
- Defenders: Marc Cucurella, Alex Grimaldo, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill, Eric Garcia, Marcos Llorente, Pedro Porro.
- Midfielders: Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Martín Zubimendi, Gavi, Rodri, Alex Baena, Mikel Merino.
- Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Ferran Torres, Mikel Oyarzabal, Álvaro Morata, Ayoze Pérez, Dani Olmo, Joselu.
Look closely at those names. Notice anything? For the first time in living memory, there is not a single Real Madrid player in a Spanish World Cup squad. That is a direct byproduct of a brutal, chaotic season over at the Bernabéu.
Spain World Cup 2026 Tactical Shapes and Core Strengths
Spain do not hide what they want to do. It is a traditional, drilled 4-3-3 shape. The system is hardwired into these players from the academy level upwards. Up front, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are given a license to hug the touchline before cutting inside on their stronger feet. This natural width stretches opponents to breaking point, leaving gaps for the full-backs to exploit when they bomb forward.
Very few international teams can match this combination of natural width and absolute midfield control.
The engine room is absurdly stacked. Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, anchors the whole operation, though he is currently racing against time to hit peak fitness. Just ahead of him, the 23-year-old Pedri is already closing in on 50 caps.
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Then there is Gavi. His inclusion is the emotional focal point of the entire squad selection. After two long years of nightmare injury problems, he has made it back. De la Fuente clearly trusts his character enough to throw him straight into a tournament of this magnitude. If they need to rotate, the drop-off is practically non-existent. Zubimendi, Baena, and Fabián Ruiz would all walk into almost any other starting eleven on the planet.
On the right flank, Lamine Yamal is putting up frightening numbers. He turns 19 on 13th July, just six days before the final. He lit up La Liga this season with 16 goals and 11 assists to help Barcelona secure the title, finishing as the league’s top playmaker, whilst adding another six goals in Europe. Everyone remembers him curling that wondergoal past France at Euro 2024 when he was just 16. He is a special talent.
The Major Concerns
But let’s be realistic. There are major fitness red flags here. Nico Williams missed the March internationals completely and has been plagued by a nagging hernia issue. Mikel Merino fractured his foot in February; he made the cut, but nobody quite knows if his body is ready for three games a week. Even Yamal is currently managing a tight hamstring that could heavily restrict his minutes during the opening fixtures.
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Losing three vital attacking components to the treatment room just as the tournament begins is proper cause for concern. Squad depth helps, but it only takes you so far.
Predicted Starting XI (4-3-3):
Unai Simón; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri, Fabián Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Nico Williams.
The fixture list looks relatively kind early on. Spain begin their Group H journey in Atlanta against tournament debutants Cape Verde, followed by a clash with Saudi Arabia in the same city. They then fly over to Guadalajara to wrap up the group stage against a stubborn Uruguay side. Finishing at the top of that pile is the bare minimum expectation. After that, the knockout bracket gets ugly very quickly.
The Verdict:
Spain is pinned as a joint favourite alongside France. That 33-match unbeaten streak stretching back to a loss against Scotland in March 2023 tells its own story. Yet, a weird hoodoo still follows them around: Spain have not actually won a single World Cup knockout match since they lifted the trophy back in 2010.
De la Fuente has undoubtedly fixed the toxic camp atmosphere of previous regimes, unified the squad, and built a system that plays to their technical strengths. If Rodri and Yamal can get through the group stages and find their rhythm before the knockout rounds start properly, they should go all the way to the final at MetLife Stadium.
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The squad is deep enough. We just have to see if their hamstrings and ankles hold up.
