Spain’s squad depth will be tested by injuries to some key players at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
AFP via Getty Images
Spain heads into the 2026 World Cup seeking to make good on their favorites tag and add to their sole previous win in the tournament. That came in 2010, in South Africa, and it remains the high point of a generation that also claimed two European Championships either side of it.
Everything since has been underwhelming by comparison, with a group stage exit in 2014, round of 16 in 2018, round of 16 in 2022. Now, fans of La Roja believe again. Victory in the European Championship in 2024, beating England in the final, has given the side a winning belief again as they arrived in the United States for the 2026 tournament.
Group H: A comfortable ride
Spain are in Group H alongside Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay. The side from the Iberian Peninsula open against Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15, face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta again on June 21, and wrap up the group stage against Uruguay in Guadalajara.
Uruguay, managed by Marcelo Bielsa and built around former Liverpool forward Darwin Núñez, is the only realistic threat to Spain’s chances of topping their group. Saudi Arabia caused one of the great World Cup upsets in Qatar by beating Argentina, so their capacity for disruption exists, though replicating that against a Spain side of this caliber would be something different entirely.
The practical danger here is one of rhythm in a group which is unlikely to push Spain to their limit until the knockout stages. Spain showed at Euro 2024 that they can raise their level when required, grinding past Germany and France on the way to the final. Whether they carry that readiness into this tournament after three undemanding group games is worth watching.
The Coach: Luis de la Fuente
Luis de la Fuente turned 64 in June and has spent almost his entire professional life inside the Spanish soccer system. As a player, he was a left-back at Athletic Club and Sevilla across a career that stretched into the mid-1990s. As a coach, he moved through the youth ranks and spent years running Spain’s age-group sides, winning the U19 European Championship in 2015, the U21 in 2019, and claiming an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo in 2020.
He replaced Luis Enrique in December 2022 after Spain’s penalty shootout exit against Morocco in Qatar at the last World Cup. The initial reaction from parts of the Spanish media was scepticism. De la Fuente was seen as an internal appointment without top-level senior experience. Since then, he has a win rate of 87% across 23 senior games: 20 wins, two draws, one loss, 55 goals scored, 14 conceded.
He won the Nations League in 2023, went unbeaten at Euro 2024, and has now been rewarded with a contract extension through to Euro 2028. The RFEF has already decided it does not need to wait and see how this summer ends. The scepticism has largely evaporated, though the persistent argument that the squad is strong enough to succeed regardless of who manages it has not fully gone away.
De la Fuente’s preferred formation is a 4-3-3 that relies on positional fluidity more than fixed roles, using wide forwards but not in the traditional sense and with a number nine who is more versatile than usual. Increased freedom is given to players, particularly in offensive positions.
Spain’s expected 2026 World Cup lineup
Unai Simón is in line to start in goal, despite intense competition from Arsenal man David Raya and Barcelona’s Joan García, both of whom have enjoyed stronger seasons than Simón. De la Fuente’s loyalty to Simón, who became first choice under Luis Enrique, is set to be put to the test.
In defense, at center-back, Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte are expected to partner and Dani Carvajal’s absence removes Spain’s first-choice right-back, making Marcos Llorente the likeliest replacement. Marc Cucurella, who set up the winning goal in the Euro 2024 final, holds down the left.
Rodri and Pedri anchor the midfield. The third spot, initially expected to go to Martín Zubimendi, now looks more likely to be Fabián Ruiz for the Cape Verde opener, with De la Fuente pragmatic about rotating in the early group games and with Zubimendi struggling for form later on in the club season.
Up front, there is no natural number nine. Gavi has been handed the number 9 shirt, which tells you everything about the philosophy, but the man set to lead the line is Real Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal.
The most significant uncertainty going into Monday is the fitness of both Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams. Both are managing hamstring issues, and De la Fuente is expected to leave at least one of them out of the starting side for the Cape Verde game. Yamal returned to training on Thursday, which reduces the concern without eliminating it, with Ferran Torres and Alex Baena the likeliest cover if either is rested.
Key Players
Lamine Yamal arrived at this tournament as the sport’s most discussed teenager since Pelé in 1958. He broke through at Euro 2024 at 16, has since collected two La Liga titles and two Laureus Sport Awards, and is now preparing for his first World Cup. His ability to take on defenders one-versus-one and deliver in high-pressure moments has been the signature of Spain’s recent success. A hamstring issue that kept him out of the final weeks of Barcelona’s season has followed him into the tournament, and his place in the lineup for the Cape Verde opener is not guaranteed. Whether De la Fuente manages him carefully in the group stage or backs him to come through is the first selection question of Spain’s summer.
In midfield, Rodri won the Ballon d’Or in 2024 and is the most important player in this squad on the basis of what Spain look like with and without him. He missed a significant portion of Manchester City’s season through injury and is working toward full fitness in time for the group stage. When fit, he is the fixed point around which everything else moves.
Alongside the experienced Rodri, his younger teammate Pedri is now 23 and is approaching 50 international caps. His renaissance under Hansi Flick at Barcelona has been one of the stories of the 2025/26 club season and at his best, he is the player who gives Spain’s midfield its tempo.
In attack, Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winner in the Euro 2024 final and arrives at this tournament in the best form of his career. He scored in Spain’s final pre-tournament outing, a 3-1 win over Peru on June 9, extending his run of scoring in consecutive internationals to six matches. In a squad without a recognized center-forward, his finishing will be disproportionately important.
A team base in Tennessee
Spain have set up their group-stage base camp at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, an elite private school whose facilities drew wide praise on social media when the squad arrived. They are staying at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in the city center.
Chattanooga is a city of around 190,000 people on the Tennessee River, sitting roughly two hours from Atlanta by road. That proximity to their first two match venues makes it a logical choice. The final group game against Uruguay is in Guadalajara, Mexico, which requires a longer trip regardless.
The RFEF said it would reassess base camp arrangements for the knockout stages depending on Spain’s bracket position and match locations. In practice, that means Chattanooga is a temporary home only, but the welcome they received from locals, including a Casa España exhibition featuring a magnificent mural, have helped them to settle in.
A possible route to the final
The draw was structured to keep the four highest-ranked nations, Spain, Argentina, France, and England, in separate quarters of the bracket, assuming they all win their groups. That structure holds provided Spain top Group H, which the odds suggest they will. If they do, the path breaks down roughly as follows.
Round of 32: Spain would play the runner-up from Group J, most likely Algeria or Austria. Finishing second in the group would mean a possible clash with reigning champions Argentina.
Round of 16: Provided Spain top their group, they would then face the winner of a battle between second place sides in Group K and L. That is likely to be Portugal or Colombia and Croatia or Ghana.
Quarter-final: The next round is possibly even less tricky, with Belgium the most likely candidates unless they fall to the winners of a group including Australia and the United States.
Semi-final: Most bracket projections and betting models route Spain toward France at this stage. It would be a rematch of the Euro 2024 semi-final, which Spain won. France have been to the final of the last two World Cups and have deep experience of managing pressure in late rounds, and would be expected to see off the likes of Germany and The Netherlands on their way to the semifinal. This, not the final, is where Spain’s tournament is most likely to be decided.
Final: Hosted at the MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, July 19, this could be the first stage where Spain meet the likes of Argentina, England, or Brazil, provided the favorites top their groups.