Spain WC qualifiers squad announced: Core from EPL and Barca, and just one Madrid player

Spain national team head coach, Luis de la Fuente, announced the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying clashes La Furia will play against Georgia on the road (November 15) and Turkey at home (November 18). With a single triumph in the two aforementioned matches, they'll book their ticket for the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

The experienced strategist and 2024 European Championship winner didn't spring many surprises, except for calling up the ex-West Ham man and current Real Betis midfielder, Pablo Fornals, who last played for the national team on November 11, 2021.

Interestingly, the core of the squad comes from the Premier League - as many as six players. There are Arsenal's Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, and David Raya, Chelsea's Marc Cucurella, Yeremy Pino of Crystal Palace, and Tottenham's Pedro Porro.

Barcelona gave five players to the national team (Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres), though that number would have been larger had it not been for Pedri's injury. Apart from the 22-year-old midfielder, De la Fuente couldn't count on Nico Williams, Dani Carvajal, Ruben Le Normand, and Rodri, who are all sidelined.

As for Real Madrid, they have only one player in Spain's squad! Truth be told, there are just six Spaniards in Los Blancos' roster, and Dean Huijsen was the only one to deserve De la Fuente's trust.

However, it's undoubtedly a shame for the 15-time Champions League winners, especially given their status in the Spanish football, and the fact that they're one of its backbones.

Apart from Barca and Arsenal, Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad, and Bayer Leverkusen all have more representatives in La Furia's squad than Xabi Alonso's crew.

What Barcelona let slip away, Man United is ready to welcome with open arms

SPAIN SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad)

Defenders: Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Dani Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Aleix Garcia (Bayer Leverkusen), Pablo Barrios (Atletico Madrid), Mikel Merino (Arsenal), Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain), Fermin Lopez (Barcelona), Pablo Fornals (Real Betis), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid), Dani Olmo (Barcelona)

Forwards: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Samu Omorodion (Porto), Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo), Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace)