“This is the list of an entire country. This is the list of Spain,” says King Felipe VI in the video that served as the presentation of the footballers called up by La Roja for the World Cup that will kick off in the United States, Mexico and Canada this June 2026.
The Spanish monarch stars alongside ordinary Spaniards from all walks of life who call out the names of each of the 26 players chosen by coach Luis de la Fuente, who sets the scene in the three-minute video.
“When the national team plays, we all play,” King Felipe VI stresses.
This is the first time La Selección goes to the trouble of preparing a cinematic video presentation of its World Cup squad, and it comes just days after England did the same for its chosen team in a video set to the rhythm of The Beatles’ song “Come Together”.
Lamine Yamal leads Spain’s squad for the 2026 World Cup named by de la Fuente on Monday, which also included Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino after his recent return from injury.
For the first time at a World Cup, the Spain squad will not feature a Real Madrid player with Dean Huijsen dropped and veteran Dani Carvajal also excluded after struggling through an injury-hit campaign.
Merino, a favourite of coach De la Fuente, appeared as a substitute for the Gunners against Crystal Palace on Sunday in their final Premier League match, for his first appearance since January after a foot fracture.
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De La Fuente also called up defenders Eric Garcia and Marc Pubill after impressive seasons with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid respectively, deciding to leave out Huijsen and Atletico’s Robin Le Normand.
Along with teenager Barca star Yamal, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams played a key role as Spain won Euro 2024 and he is in the squad despite a season badly disrupted by fitness issues.
Yamal, 18, is a doubt for the first matches of the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury with Barca which has kept him out since late April.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal/ENG), Joan Garcia (Barcelona)
Defenders: Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill (Atletico Madrid), Pedro Porro (Tottenham/ENG), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea/ENG), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen/GER)
Midfielders: Rodri (Manchester City/ENG), Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino (Arsenal/ENG), Pedri, Gavi (Barcelona), Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace/ENG), Victor Munoz (Osasuna), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo)
With additional reporting by AFP.
