Spain's UEFA Nations League Squad: Key Changes for 2026-2027

Spain’s world champions are back on the road – and Luis de la Fuente has made it clear that reputation alone won’t guarantee a seat on the plane.

The Spain coach has named his squad for the start of La Roja’s 2026-2027 UEFA Nations League campaign, making four changes to the group that lifted the World Cup. The title defence era begins with a heavyweight trip to Wembley to face England in a week’s time, the first of four games crammed into the international window.

After London, Spain return home to host Croatia on the 29th at the Sánchez-Pizjuán, then face the Czech Republic in Oviedo on the 3rd, before closing the series with a second meeting against Croatia in Split. It’s a demanding run, and De la Fuente has responded with a list that blends continuity with sharp, unforgiving cuts.

He has kept the backbone of his World Cup-winning side, but the message is blunt: the door is open to everyone, yet staying inside this group of world champions requires constant proof, not past glory.

Four of the 26 players from the World Cup squad are out. Each omission tells its own story.

Goalkeeper shake-up: injury opens the door

Joan García never had a chance to defend his place. A fall against Racing left the goalkeeper with a right knee injury, ruling him out of this camp and forcing De la Fuente into a change between the posts.

The Spain boss moved quickly. Inter Milan’s Josep Martínez gets the call, returning to the national team setup after his previous appearance in June 2021. That first cap came in surreal circumstances: Spain were forced to send out a second-string side against Lithuania when the main squad went into isolation after Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente tested positive for coronavirus.

Now Martínez comes back in a very different context – as part of a reigning world and European champion group, with a real opportunity to push for minutes behind Unai Simón and David Raya.

Defence: Huijsen back, Eric García steps into a new role

On the right side of defence, one change had been coming for weeks. Marcos Llorente’s international retirement, announced on 3 September, left a vacancy that De la Fuente has filled with a bold, if not entirely surprising, decision.

Eric García is in as right-back, a position he has occupied for every minute at club level this season. De la Fuente rewards that consistency and tactical flexibility, trusting him to transpose that form onto the international stage.

Dean Huijsen also returns. The Real Madrid defender, who missed out on the World Cup, is back in the fold and adds fresh energy and height to the back line. With Pau Cubarsí, Laporte, Vivian, Cucurella, Grimaldo and Pedro Porro also in, Spain’s defensive unit looks deep, varied and fiercely competitive.

Midfield drama: Gavi out, Fermín back

Midfield is where the squad list bites hardest.

Gavi drops out after suffering a new knee issue against Elche and seeing his minutes fade. He had started Spain’s opening World Cup match against Cape Verde but could not hold his place because of injury, and his situation has only grown more complicated.

FIFA’s appeals committee has rejected the Spanish federation’s attempt to suspend the ban imposed on him for events in the World Cup final, closing off another route back into the team for now. Between physical problems and disciplinary fallout, one of Spain’s most intense midfielders is suddenly on the outside looking in.

The vacancy reopens the door for Fermín López. The Barcelona midfielder returns to De la Fuente’s plans after missing the World Cup with a foot injury suffered in the final round of last season, a cruel blow at the time given how central he had been to the coach’s ideas.

Now he’s back in a midfield that still runs through Rodri and Zubimendi at the base, with Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Mikel Merino, Dani Olmo and Baena completing a unit built for control, creativity and constant movement.

Up front: a new Zarra leader steps in

The biggest surprise comes in attack.

Borja Iglesias, a forward De la Fuente leaned on specifically during the World Cup, is out. No injury, no suspension – just competition. The Spain coach has turned to form and numbers in the league and handed the shirt to Espanyol’s Roberto Fernández.

Roberto currently leads the race for the Zarra Trophy, awarded to the top Spanish scorer in the league. That scoring streak has pushed him ahead of rivals Camello, Espí and Gonzalo in the national team pecking order and into this squad at a moment when goals at international level are at a premium.

Around him, the attacking cast remains explosive: Nico Williams, Yeremy Pino, Oyarzabal, Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal and Víctor Muñoz give De la Fuente options out wide and through the middle. There is pace, there is youth, there is experience. Now there is also the league’s most in-form Spanish finisher.

Spain squad for the Nations League start

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.

World and European champions, a target on their backs, and a Nations League campaign beginning under the arch at Wembley. De la Fuente has drawn his lines. Now the question is simple: who in this group will still be standing when the next trophy is on the line?