Spain's First Squad as World Champions

De la Fuente names his first squad as a world champion: 26 players, four new faces and a Wembley opener against England on 26 September.

Spain's squad for the start of the UEFA Nations League is out, and it is not just another list. It is the first one Luis de la Fuente has named as a World Cup-winning manager. Twenty-six players, four names who were not part of the World Cup group, and an opening fixture with no gentle landing: on Saturday 26 September, Spain play England at Wembley. Two months after lifting the trophy in New Jersey, the champions are back at work with nothing underneath them.

Spain squad announcement: the 26 players called up

De la Fuente named the squad on Friday 18 September at Las Rozas, where the group reports for camp on 22 September. The breakdown is three goalkeepers, eight defenders, seven midfielders and eight forwards — a deep squad for four matches crammed into eleven days.

The spine of the World Cup-winning side is untouched. Rodri, voted the tournament's best player, is back in midfield alongside Pedri and Fabián Ruiz. Further forward, Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Mikel Oyarzabal and Ferran Torres all keep their places — the last of those having scored the extra-time goal that settled the final against Argentina. Continuity, not upheaval, is the message.

The four new faces in De la Fuente's squad

Compared with the group that travelled to the 2026 World Cup, four names have come in. None of them by accident:

1. Josep Martínez. The goalkeeper comes in after Joan García's injury and slots in as third choice behind Unai Simón and David Raya.
2. Dean Huijsen. The centre-back missed the World Cup and returns on the back of a strong start to the season, offering ball progression and a left-sided option at the back.
3. Fermín López. Another World Cup absentee who wins his place back. His return gives De la Fuente a midfielder who arrives late in the box — not a profile Spain are overloaded with.
4. Roberto Fernández. The genuine surprise: a first senior call-up for the Espanyol forward, who takes the place vacated by Borja Iglesias.

Roberto Fernández: from Puente Genil to the world champions

The name nobody had on their bingo card is Roberto Fernández. A 24-year-old striker born in Puente Genil, in the province of Córdoba, he arrives in the senior squad having scored six goals in the first six LaLiga matchdays for Espanyol. His route here has been anything but linear: Málaga, Barcelona Atlètic and Braga before he finally settled in the top flight.

It is probably the cleanest illustration of something De la Fuente has demonstrated rather than merely said for years: the door to this squad opens with goals and minutes, not with the badge on your shirt. For a player who two seasons ago was not a guaranteed starter anywhere, walking into a dressing room that has just won a World Cup is a jump that is hard to put a number on.

The schedule: four matches in eleven days

The September–October international window is tightly packed, and Spain face four group games in under two weeks — two away, two at home, with stops in Seville and Oviedo:

There is more than pride at stake. The stated aim is to book a place in the Nations League quarter-finals, which are played in March. With England and Croatia in the same group, the margin for error is thin from day one.

What the international break means for your predictions

Before club football pauses for breath, there is still a coupon to fill in. Matchday 8 of the 2026-27 quiniela serves up fifteen fixtures including Osasuna v Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Club v Alavés, before the internationals scatter to their national teams. Then comes the break — and with it a couple of things worth keeping in mind:

• Clubs with the most internationals lose those players for a fortnight and get them back carrying travel fatigue. The matchday straight after a break tends to be more unpredictable than usual.
• International injuries are the biggest single source of upsets: a withdrawal announced on a Monday can rewrite the forecast for Saturday's game entirely.
• How each side has historically performed immediately after a break is a minor edge, but a free one — you can work through it matchday by matchday in the 2026-27 season archive.
• If you play in a group, the break is the best window to look at your league table properly and rethink your approach.

Seven days to Wembley, and a few hours until this weekend's coupon closes. If following the start of the Nations League is more fun when you are arguing about predictions with people who make them every week too, you can set up a prediction league with friends on quiniPrats in a couple of minutes and keep an honest record of who actually calls it right — and who only says so afterwards. No rush: football does not end on Saturday.