As we continue our team-by-team preview series for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Fantasy game, it’s time to turn our attention to reigning European champions Spain.
La Roja went unbeaten in qualifying for this summer’s tournament and indeed have remained so for some time. Their star-studded squad are among the favourites to win it all.
The Spanish, led by Luis de la Fuente, kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign against Cabo Verde on 15 June before facing Saudi Arabia on 21 June and key Group H contenders Uruguay on 27 June.
Below, we review Spain’s recent results and key stats, as well as assessing their squad and potential best players for the official Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 game.
SQUAD
𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬’𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦.
Our 26.#VamosEspaña | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/yYTZVkzwei— Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) May 25, 2026
Star player Lamine Yamal was unsurprisingly included when de la Fuente’s final squad was announced in late May, despite the Barcelona teenager having been sidelined with a hamstring injury since April.
That’s not the decision that made the headlines.
Rather, it was the fact that this will be the first Spain squad in World Cup history that does not include a Real Madrid player, with the likes of Dean Huijsen, Dani Carvajal, Alvaro Carreras and Gonzalo Garcia all missing out.
Fermin Lopez, Lamine’s attacking midfield teammate at Barca, also will not feature this summer after breaking a bone in his foot, while Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez, Arsenal’s Cristhian Mosquera and Manchester City’s Nico Gonzalez all failed to make the cut.
There are plenty of recognisable names and world-class talents included, though, which we’ll dive into in more detail shortly.
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
Spain made light work of an albeit rather easy Group E in Europe’s qualifiers, impressively winning five of their six matches to nil.
Even if the quality of opposition in those six qualifying matches wasn’t the same that Spain will face in North America – including Uruguay in World Cup Group H, plus (very likely) plenty of world football heavyweights in the knockouts – it is worth noting that de la Fuente’s men had gone a European record-equalling 31 games unbeaten by the end of their qualifying campaign.
A total of 21 goals scored – from a Europe-leading expected goals (xG) per game figure of 2.80 – with just two conceded highlights this team as a formidable force to be reckoned with this summer.
Only England boasted a better expected goals conceded (xGC) per game figure, meanwhile:
BIGGEST GOAL THREATS IN QUALIFICATION
Spain’s joint-top scorers in qualifying were Mikel Oyarzabal ($8.1m) and Mikel Merino ($6.2m).
The two Mikels bagged six goals each, with Arsenal midfielder Merino scoring all of his from open play, having fired off a squad-leading 22 total shots.
Real Sociedad captain Oyarzabal, meanwhile, trailed only Merino for shots (17) and boasted a team-best 3.80 xG. That figure is boosted by the two penalties he scored, but spot-kick duties are certainly a feather in the winger’s cap – as we’ll discuss below. In total, he scored in all but one of Spain’s qualifying matches.
Lamine Yamal ($10m) drew a goal-scoring blank in qualifying, albeit from limited gametime, but his Barcelona teammates Ferran Torres ($7.8m) and Pedri ($8.1m) bagged two each.
MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS IN QUALIFYING
Yamal may not have scored, but he did provide three assists from his limited minutes in qualifying!
Spain spread the creative load around fairly evenly, such is the breadth of talent in their squad. Oyarzabal registered two assists and was perhaps unlucky not to earn more, having supplied nine key passes for a total xG assisted figure of 2.27.
Pedri and Pedro Porro ($5.5m) led the way for key passes with 12 and 11, respectively, and trailed only Oyarzabal for xG assisted, but somehow failed to register an assist between them.
Instead, the players joining Oyarzabal with two assists apiece were central defender Robin Le Normand, who missed out on de la Fuente’s final squad, and Nico Williams ($7.8m), who made the cut despite dealing with various injuries this club season, the most recent of which – a hamstring issue – sidelined him for most of May.
SINCE QUALIFICATION
| Date | Opposition | Result | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 March 2026 | v Serbia (h) | 3-0 | Oyarzabal x2, Munoz |
| 31 March 2026 | v Egypt (h) | 0-0 | – |
After clinching their spot at the World Cup late last year, Spain contested two friendlies in March against Serbia and Egypt.
They won the former 3-0 through a Mikel Oyarzabal (€8.1m) brace and one from Osasuna forward Victor Munoz ($4.0m) and drew the latter 0-0. De la Fuente’s XI in the Serbia win looked closer to what we expect his first-choice side will be this summer.
La Roja will play two more friendlies, against Iraq on 4 June and Peru on 9 June, before getting their World Cup campaign underway.
WORLD CUP FIXTURES
As you can see from our colour-themed World Cup ticker above, Spain’s opening two matches are their most favourable.
That makes them excellent Fantasy picks from the outset, before potentially being surplus to requirements in Round 3 when there’s a decidedly tougher test against Uruguay.
TOP FANTASY PICKS
It’s hard to look past Mikel Oyarzabal ($8.1m) as the top Fantasy pick from Spain’s ranks, at least ahead of the opening Group H match against Cabo Verde.
On penalties, in decent goal-scoring form for his club and leading the line for country, Oyarzabal represents a reliable route into the Spanish attack at a time when Lamine Yamal ($10.0m) and fellow winger Nico Williams ($7.8m) are fighting back to full fitness after recent muscle injuries – even if Yamal in particular will undoubtedly feature in our thinking before long. The pace and trickery of both wide men could be further rewarded with points available for winning penalties, regardless of the outcome.
At the time of writing (May 27), Yamal is training with the ball again.
Pedri ($8.1m) and Rodri ($7.5m) are two of the world’s best central and defensive midfielders, and the game’s reward of a +1 for every three tackles made or every two chances created could boost their appeal. However, for the price, there may be better options elsewhere at this stage.
If Spain set up in a 4-2-3-1, then someone like Dani Olmo ($7.7m) could appeal as a No10, but he and versatile Barca teammate Ferran Torres ($7.8m) – capable of covering any of the front three spots – are not certain long-term starters, which is what we really want from a Fantasy perspective.
With that in mind, Unai Simon ($5.0m) has remained de la Fuente’s No1 despite the form of fellow top goalkeepers David Raya ($5.0m) and Joan Garcia ($4.0m), winners of their respective domestic leagues with Arsenal and Barcelona.
However, the similarly priced Marc Cucurella ($5.1m) could be the most appealing Fantasy pick from Spain’s defence. A key member of the Euro 2024-winning squad, he remains first choice at left-back and carries an attacking threat with his overlapping runs. He’s also just a smidge more expensive than centre-back Pau Cubarsi ($5.0m) and cheaper than both Pedro Porro ($5.5m) and Marcos Llorente ($5.5m), who could be competing for the right-back slot.
