As the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico comes into focus, Spain's latest squad selection confirms what the football world already knows: right now, the most important club in the Spanish national team is FC Barcelona.
Luis de la Fuente named seven Barcelona players in his 27-man squad announced on Friday for friendlies against Serbia (March 27, Villarreal) and Egypt (March 31, RCDE Stadium). No other club comes close to that number.
The seven are: Joan García (goalkeeper, first senior call-up), Pau Cubarsí (defender), Pedri (midfielder), Fermín López (midfielder), Dani Olmo (midfielder/forward), Ferran Torres (forward), and Lamine Yamal (forward). Yamal, at 18, is already one of the first names on De la Fuente's teamsheet — the youngest player in history to score ten Champions League goals.
Notably absent: Gavi, who has made only one brief substitute appearance since returning from serious knee surgery. Alejandro Balde remains out through injury. Marc Bernal, whose form in Barcelona's midfield has been one of the stories of the season, was not selected — De la Fuente has opted for established names with the World Cup only months away.
Spain are in Group H at the World Cup alongside Uruguay, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia. As reigning European champions they are among the tournament favourites. These two March friendlies are among the last real opportunities for De la Fuente to test squad depth before naming his final group. For Joan García in particular, the next two weeks could define whether he makes that plane to North America.
