Spain are preparing for the 2026 World Cup with high hopes that they can be the ones to lift the trophy in the United States in July, and add a second star to their shirt 16 years after the first. La Roja have been impressive since the arrival of Luis de la Fuente and will be among the favourites to win it.
Along with France, England and Brazil, Spain are expected to be there at the end of the crunch time of the tournament, as can be seen from the world cup betting odds at 1Bet. Here is a look at some of the players that will be decisive for La Roja in the summer.
The 18-year-old star is the great hope of the nation in Spain. While de la Fuente has a brilliant collection of stars at his disposal, none have the talent to decide the game in a flash that Lamine Yamal does. There is concern over his fitness, following a hamstring injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season, but he is in theory to be ready to play the World Cup. What kind of shape he is in is another question.
Likely to feature on the right side of attack, Lamine Yamal has the killer pass and the dribbling ability to disorganise opposition defences that nobody else does for Spain.
Spain have good depth in most positions across the pitch, but number nine is not a spot where de la Fuente is blessed with multiple obvious choices. It seems decided that after 17 goal contributions in his last 10 Spain appearances, Mikel Oyarzabal will lead the line. Scoring the winner at Euro 2024, it was then captain Alvaro Morata that was starting up front, but Oyarzabal will be charged with ensuring de la Fuente’s side have both a sharp edge in the box, and a fluid prorgression forward from midfield. If Oyarzabal is in form, then it will make a major difference.
Defence is perhaps the area of the pitch with the most doubts for de la Fuente. Pau Cubarsi, Dean Huijsen, Cristhian Mosquera and Robin Le Normand are competing for a spot alongside him with no clear form candidate. Marcos Llorente and Pedro Porro could be replacing Dani Carvajal compared to their Euro 2024 side at right-back.
Even if Marc Cucurella is settled as the starter on the left, it will be Laporte who is the most experienced head in the backline, and the one trusted to martial his teammates. If he can show leadership, it will glue the Spain backline together.
