Spain announced its first men's senior squad after winning the World Cup on September 18, 2026. Luis de la Fuente selected 26 players for the first four matches of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League. The squad retains 22 members of the World Cup-winning group and makes four changes: Josep Martínez, Dean Huijsen, Fermín López and Roberto Fernández come in, while Joan Garcia, Marcos Llorente, Gavi and Borja Iglesias are absent compared with the World Cup roster.
The official list was published by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). The new cycle starts at Wembley against England, includes home matches against Croatia and Czechia, and ends this opening run with another meeting with Croatia in Split.
Full list of Spain's 26 called-up players
The squad contains three goalkeepers, eight defenders, seven midfielders and eight forwards. The clubs below are those listed by the RFEF in its September 18 announcement.
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Unai Simón | Athletic Club |
| Goalkeeper | David Raya | Arsenal FC |
| Goalkeeper | Josep Martínez | Inter de Milán |
| Defender | Pedro Porro | Tottenham Hotspur FC |
| Defender | Aymeric Laporte | Athletic Club |
| Defender | Pau Cubarsí | FC Barcelona |
| Defender | Marc Pubill | Club Atlético de Madrid |
| Defender | Eric Garcia | FC Barcelona |
| Defender | Marc Cucurella | Real Madrid CF |
| Defender | Alejandro Grimaldo | Club Atlético de Madrid |
| Defender | Dean Huijsen | Real Madrid CF |
| Midfielder | Rodrigo Hernández | FC Barcelona |
| Midfielder | Martín Zubimendi | Arsenal FC |
| Midfielder | Pedri González | FC Barcelona |
| Midfielder | Fabián Ruiz | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Midfielder | Mikel Merino | Arsenal FC |
| Midfielder | Fermín López | FC Barcelona |
| Midfielder | Álex Baena | Club Atlético de Madrid |
| Forward | Mikel Oyarzabal | Real Sociedad de Fútbol |
| Forward | Lamine Yamal | FC Barcelona |
| Forward | Ferran Torres | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Forward | Roberto Fernández | RCD Espanyol de Barcelona |
| Forward | Dani Olmo | FC Barcelona |
| Forward | Víctor Muñoz | Liverpool FC |
| Forward | Nico Williams | Athletic Club |
| Forward | Yeremy Pino | Crystal Palace FC |
What is new in the first post-World Cup cycle
Compared with the 26 players Spain registered for the 2026 World Cup, the September squad has four changes. Two players receive their first senior call-ups, while two return to the group.
- Josep Martínez: the Inter Milan goalkeeper receives his first senior Spain call-up and takes one of the three goalkeeper places.
- Roberto Fernández: the Espanyol forward is also included in the senior squad for the first time.
- Dean Huijsen: the Real Madrid defender returns after not being part of the final 26-player World Cup roster.
- Fermín López: the Barcelona midfielder returns to the senior national team after missing the final World Cup squad.
The four players missing compared with the World Cup are Joan Garcia, Marcos Llorente, Gavi and Borja Iglesias. Joan Garcia had mild discomfort in his right knee on September 17, according to a Barcelona medical update. Marcos Llorente announced the end of his Spain career on September 3. Gavi and Borja Iglesias are simply not included in the new 26-player list published by the RFEF.
Spain's four Nations League matches
The RFEF confirmed the dates, venues and kick-off times for the first four matches. All begin at 20:45 in mainland Spain, which is 15:45 in Brasília on those dates.
| Date | Match | Venue | Spain time | Brasília time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26/09/2026 | England vs Spain | Wembley Stadium, London | 20:45 | 15:45 |
| 29/09/2026 | Spain vs Croatia | Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Seville | 20:45 | 15:45 |
| 03/10/2026 | Spain vs Czechia | Carlos Tartiere, Oviedo | 20:45 | 15:45 |
| 06/10/2026 | Croatia vs Spain | Stadion Poljud, Split | 20:45 | 15:45 |
How the squad is distributed by position
In goal, Unai Simón and David Raya remain from the World Cup-winning squad, while Josep Martínez replaces Joan Garcia. In defence, the main personnel change is Dean Huijsen's return alongside Pedro Porro, Laporte, Cubarsí, Marc Pubill, Eric Garcia, Cucurella and Grimaldo.
In midfield, six World Cup winners remain: Rodrigo Hernández, Zubimendi, Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Mikel Merino and Álex Baena. Fermín López completes the group in the place vacated by Gavi when comparing the squad with the World Cup roster.
Up front, Roberto Fernández is the new name. The rest of the attacking group is Oyarzabal, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo, Víctor Muñoz, Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino. Borja Iglesias, who was at the World Cup, is not included this time.
What this squad says about the start of the new cycle
The first list after the World Cup shows more continuity than turnover: 22 of the 26 champions remain. At the same time, De la Fuente uses the opening Nations League window to bring in two first-time senior call-ups and restore two players who had already been part of the national-team setup.
The schedule also calls for a deep squad. Spain will play four matches in 11 days, travelling to London and Split and playing at home in Seville and Oviedo. The call-up should therefore be read as the group available for the whole international window, not as an automatic indication of the starting line-up for each match.
Quick summary
- Squad size: 26 players.
- First senior call-ups: Josep Martínez and Roberto Fernández.
- Returns: Dean Huijsen and Fermín López.
- Missing compared with the World Cup: Joan Garcia, Marcos Llorente, Gavi and Borja Iglesias.
- Next opponents: England, Croatia, Czechia and Croatia again.
- Four-match period: September 26 to October 6, 2026.
