Spain will kick off their World Cup qualification campaign next week with matches against Bulgaria and Turkey.
With that in mind, Luis De La Fuente has announced his 26-man squad that he will count on for the qualifier games.
This squad list is important as it's a pretty good indicator on who De la Fuente will count on for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
Seven Barcelona Players In
It is no surprise that Barcelona led with most players called up by the Spanish national team as they've been the most successful team in the country for the past year and have relied on homegrown talent to be successful.
Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Pau Cubarsi, and Dani Olmo have been consistent call ups for De La Fuente with Lamine Yamal being a guaranteed starter and Dani Olmo and Pedri being the rotating options for the 10 position. Pau Cubarsi isn't a guaranteed start but is a strong option to start.
Fermin and Gavi may not be Barcelona starters, but Gavi has always performed well for the national team and Fermin made his spot ever since he led Spain to an Olympic Gold Medal in the Paris Olympics.
As for Ferran Torres, he wasn't called up last time due to an appendicitis surgery but is called back up and seen as the likely starter for the striker position.
Three Players Left Off
Eric Garcia may have been deserving of a call up as he's gotten a good run of games as the starting right back for Barcelona but De La Fuente has opted to go back to the experienced Carvajal after he's recovered from his injury.
As for Joan Garcia, many thought that he was going to get called up after making a move to a big club like Barcelona but it seems like the Spanish manager opted to go for his usual three of Unai Simon, David Raya, and Alex Remiro. Joan may be able to get called up in future matches as he just made the move to Barcelona but it's a bit disappointing for the young shot stopper.
Lastly, Alejandro Balde has not been called up again and he hasn't been called up for Spain since 2023 and only has 7 caps for the national team. This is surprising for the casual fan as Balde has been one of the best left backs in the world since he broke out but De La Fuente doesn't seem to be a fan. He's consistently called up Marc Cucurella and Alejandro Grimaldo ahead of him.
Whether this trend continues or not, it's concerning for Balde that his club performances don't seem to matter to De La Fuente.