Luis de la Fuente

Luis de la Fuente named Spain's final 26 for the 2026 World Cup on 26 May with eight FC Barcelona players and zero from Real Madrid, the first squad in the European champions' history without a single player from the country's record title-holders . Eighteen-year-old Lamine Yamal retained his place despite a fitness concern; the in-form Dani Carvajal was omitted. The selection bet Spain's title defence on a club identity, concentrating both the cohesion and the injury risk of a Barcelona spine.

De la Fuente took over the Spain national team in December 2022 after Luis Enrique departed following the 2022 World Cup quarter-final exit. He built a young, high-pressing side around Barcelona's La Masia alumni and steered it to the UEFA Euro 2024 title in Germany, beating England in the final. That tournament success — Spain's fourth European Championship — confirmed his standing after initial scepticism about appointing a coach whose previous experience was at youth international level.

His coaching philosophy prioritises collective pressing geometry over individual star power, which explains both the Barcelona pivot and the willingness to omit a Champions League-pedigreed right-back. Spain enter the 2026 tournament as defending European champions and one of the pre-tournament favourites, carrying the expectation that comes with generational talent and the structural vulnerability of having concentrated it in one club.