Spain at the FIFA World Cup 2026

History

Spain won their only FIFA World Cup title in 2010 in South Africa, defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final through Andres Iniesta's extra-time goal, becoming the first European nation to win a World Cup held outside Europe. Prior to 2010, Spain's best result was fourth place at the 1950 edition. They have participated in 17 World Cups since their debut in 1934. Away from the World Cup, Spain are also the most successful nation in European Championship history, with four UEFA European Championship titles (1964, 1984, 2008, 2012) and most recently the 2024 edition, where they defeated England 2-1 in the Berlin final, winning all seven matches and setting a record for goals in a single tournament.

Qualification

Spain qualified for the 2026 World Cup as winners of UEFA Group E, which also contained Turkey, Georgia, and Bulgaria. Playing four matches in the September and October 2025 window plus two in November, Spain finished unbeaten across all group games. A 2-2 draw with Turkey on the final matchday (November 18, 2025) was enough to secure top spot. Earlier results included a 6-0 victory over Turkey and a 4-0 win over Georgia in the November window, with a 2-0 loss away to Georgia (October) being the only setback in an otherwise dominant campaign.

Preparation

Coach Luis de la Fuente named his 26-man squad on May 25, 2026, with the lists remaining provisional pending FIFA's June 2 confirmation. The pre-tournament camp opened with its first session at the Ciudad del Futbol in Las Rozas on Sunday, May 31, drawing some 2,000 fans to an open training; Yamal, Nico Williams (both hamstring) and Victor Munoz (calf) worked apart from the group, while four players were delayed by Champions League final duty. Spain play two pre-tournament friendlies: against Iraq on June 4 at the Riazor Stadium in La Coruna, and against Peru on June 8 in Puebla, Mexico, to which the full squad including the recovering trio is set to travel. Recent form in March 2026 included a 3-0 win over Serbia and a 0-0 draw with Egypt. Spain open their Group H campaign against Cabo Verde on June 15 in Atlanta.

Latest news

De la Fuente backs Yamal to be fit, even to start, for World Cup opener

· injuries

Manager Luis de la Fuente said Lamine Yamal, recovering from an April hamstring injury, will be in 'perfect condition' and predicted he would be ready for Spain's opener against Cabo Verde on June 15, with reports indicating Yamal is expected to start. De la Fuente said the staff would keep monitoring his progress.

Spain open World Cup camp at Las Rozas; Yamal, Williams and Munoz train apart

· general

Spain held their first pre-tournament training session at the Ciudad del Futbol in Las Rozas, watched by around 2,000 fans at an open practice. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams (both recovering from hamstring injuries) and Victor Munoz (calf problem) trained separately from the group. Four players were delayed by Champions League final commitments.

Full Spain squad, including recovering trio, to travel for Peru friendly in Puebla

· squad

Spain decided to send the entire squad to the June 8 friendly against Peru in Puebla, Mexico, including the three players recovering from injury: Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Victor Munoz. Medical staff reported all three were showing noticeable progress and could be available for official matches.

Squad

PlayerPositionClub
Unai SimónGKAthletic Club
David RayaGKArsenal
Joan GarcíaGKBarcelona
Pedro PorroDFTottenham Hotspur
Marcos LlorenteDFAtlético Madrid
Aymeric LaporteDFAthletic Club
Pau CubarsíDFBarcelona
Eric GarcíaDFBarcelona
Marc PubillDFAtlético Madrid
Marc CucurellaDFChelsea
Alejandro GrimaldoDFBayer Leverkusen
RodriMFManchester City
Martín ZubimendiMFArsenal
PedriMFBarcelona
GaviMFBarcelona
Fabián RuizMFParis Saint-Germain
Mikel MerinoMFArsenal
Álex BaenaMFAtlético Madrid
Yéremy PinoFWCrystal Palace
Víctor MuñozFWOsasuna
Mikel OyarzabalFWReal Sociedad
Dani OlmoFWBarcelona
Ferran TorresFWBarcelona
Borja IglesiasFWCelta Vigo
Lamine YamalFWBarcelona
Nico WilliamsFWAthletic Club

Recent results

  • 2024-03-22 — ESP 0-1 COL (friendly)
  • 2024-03-26 — ESP 3-3 BRA (friendly)
  • 2024-06-05 — ESP 5-0 AND (friendly)
  • 2024-06-08 — ESP 5-1 NIR (friendly)
  • 2025-09-04 — BUL 0-3 ESP (qualification)
  • 2025-09-07 — TUR 0-6 ESP (qualification)
  • 2025-10-11 — ESP 2-0 GEO (qualification)
  • 2025-10-14 — ESP 4-0 BUL (qualification)
  • 2025-11-15 — GEO 0-4 ESP (qualification)
  • 2025-11-18 — ESP 2-2 TUR (qualification)
  • 2026-03-27 — ESP 3-0 SRB (friendly)
  • 2026-03-31 — ESP 0-0 EGY (friendly)

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