Spain’s World Champions Prepare for UEFA Nations League
Spain’s world champions are back on the road – and Luis de la Fuente has made it clear that reputation alone will not protect anyone.
Fresh from lifting the World Cup after adding the European Championship to their haul, La Roja open their 2026–2027 UEFA Nations League campaign with a high‑profile trip to Wembley to face England next week. That match kicks off a demanding four-game block in this international window and comes with a refreshed, slightly sharpened squad list.
Four out, four in – but the core remains
De la Fuente has made four changes to the group that conquered the world, trimming away some familiar names but keeping the backbone of his title-winning side. The message is blunt: the door is open to all, but staying inside this dressing room means living at world-champion standards every single week.
Four of the 26 players who went to the World Cup are missing from this call-up, each for very different reasons.
Goalkeeper blow opens the door for Inter’s Martínez
The most unfortunate absentee is Joan García. The goalkeeper suffered a right knee injury after a fall in the match against Racing, an incident that instantly ruled him out of this camp.
That setback has created a route back into the national team for Inter Milan’s Josep Martínez. The keeper returns to La Roja after his previous appearance in June 2021, in that surreal night when Spain had to face Lithuania with a second-string squad. Back then, a coronavirus outbreak involving Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente forced the first team into isolation and handed Martínez his debut under De la Fuente.
Now he comes back in very different circumstances: as a Serie A goalkeeper, fighting for minutes behind Unai Simón and David Raya in a champions’ dressing room.
Right-back reshaped: Huijsen returns, Eric García repurposed
On the right side of defence, there was no surprise. Marcos Llorente’s international retirement, announced on 3 September, left a vacancy that De la Fuente has chosen to fill with a positional twist.
Eric García, used all season in that role for his club, steps in as a right-back option and arrives with the rhythm of having played every minute in that position. Alongside him, Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen is recalled after missing out on the World Cup. His return restores a profile the coach clearly values: a defender comfortable on the ball but aggressive in duels.
The defensive unit still leans on familiar names – Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Laporte, Vivian, Cucurella, Grimaldo – but the edges are being sharpened.
Midfield shock: Gavi out, Fermín back
The biggest jolt comes in midfield. Gavi, who started Spain’s opening World Cup match against Cape Verde, drops out. His minutes have dwindled since he suffered another knee problem against Elche, and his physical condition is not the only cloud hanging over him.
FIFA’s appeals committee has rejected the Spanish federation’s attempt to suspend the ban imposed on the Barcelona midfielder for incidents in the World Cup final. The combination of injury issues and disciplinary fallout leaves De la Fuente without one of his most intense, disruptive presences in the middle of the pitch.
Into that gap steps a familiar face: Fermín López. The Barcelona midfielder had been one of De la Fuente’s trusted pieces in the build-up to the World Cup, only to miss the tournament after a foot injury in the final round of last season. Now he returns to the coach’s plans, slotting back into a midfield that still revolves around Rodri, with Zubimendi, Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Mikel Merino, Dani Olmo and Baena offering an array of technical and tactical options.
A new No 9 for Spain’s scoring race
Up front, the boldest call is the omission of Borja Iglesias. The striker was one of the specialist options De la Fuente leaned on during the World Cup, but he loses his place just as a new Spanish forward is catching fire in the league.
Espanyol’s Roberto Fernández has forced his way in, riding the momentum of a prolific start to the season that has put him in front in the race for the Zarra Trophy, awarded to the top Spanish scorer in the domestic league. That form has lifted him above Camello, Espí and Gonzalo in the pecking order and straight into the senior national team.
He joins an attack loaded with different profiles: the direct running of Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino, the intelligence of Oyarzabal, the streaky finishing of Ferran Torres, the precocious genius of Lamine Yamal, and the presence of Víctor Muñoz. The competition for minutes will be ruthless.
A demanding Nations League start
Spain’s schedule leaves little room for experimentation. After England at Wembley, La Roja return home to face Croatia at the Sánchez-Pizjuán on the 29th. Then comes the Czech Republic in Oviedo on the 3rd, before a second meeting with Croatia in Split closes out this international window.
Four matches. One new goalkeeper, a reshaped right flank, a midfield without Gavi, and a new Spanish striker leading the league scoring charts.
For De la Fuente, this is not a victory tour. It is the first test of how long a world champion can stay on top while still daring to change.
Spain squad in full
- Goalkeepers: Unai Simón, David Raya, Josep Martínez.
- Defence: Pedro Porro, Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, Laporte, Vivian, Dean Huijsen, Cucurella, Grimaldo.
- Midfield: Rodri, Zubimendi, Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Mikel Merino, Dani Olmo, Baena, Fermín López.
- Attack: Nico Williams, Yeremy Pino, Oyarzabal, Ferran Torres, Roberto Fernández, Lamine Yamal, Víctor Muñoz.
