Spain National Team Announces Squad Numbers for 2026 World Cup: Surprising Choices. The Spain national football team has revealed its squad numbers for the 2026 World Cup. The roster includes 26 players, but the allocation of numbers has surprised fans. Some of the team's key players have been assigned unexpected numbers.
The Spanish national team has announced the official squad numbers for the players set to compete at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Head coach Luis de la Fuente has selected 26 players, but the distribution of numbers has raised questions even among seasoned fans. Goalkeeper Unai Simón, despite tradition, did not receive the number one shirt—he kept his usual number, while the 'one' went to David Raya. Another surprise is the absence of a classic number nine striker: midfielder Gavi has been given the number 9.
Spain will begin its tournament preparations with a friendly match against Iraq, scheduled for June 4 at the Riazor Stadium in La Coruña. Recently, the state of the pitch at the stadium has caused concern due to injury risks, especially as several key players—Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Nico Williams, and Mikel Merino—have only just recovered from injuries. It is expected that their playing time will be limited not only in the friendlies but also in the first group stage matches against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia.
The squad also includes players who were not expected to be among the main ones: Joan Garcia, David Raya, Pedro Porro, Eric Garcia, Alex Baena, Borja Iglesias, and Yeremy Pino. According to the coaching staff, each of them can play a role in helping the team achieve the best possible result. However, as noted by russpain.com, the distribution of roles and playing time in the Spanish national team often becomes a topic of discussion ahead of major tournaments, just as it was in the Endesa Basketball League — more details on this can be found in the article about the start of the quarterfinals between Valencia Basket and Surne Bilbao..
The full list of Spain's squad numbers for the 2026 World Cup is as follows: 1 — David Raya, 2 — Marc Pubill, 3 — Alejandro Grimaldo, 4 — Eric Garcia, 5 — Marcos Llorente, 6 — Mikel Merino, 7 — Ferran Torres, 8 — Fabian Ruiz, 9 — Gavi, 10 — Dani Olmo, 11 — Yeremy Pino, 12 — Pedro Porro, 13 — Joan Garcia, 14 — Aymeric Laporte, 15 — Alex Baena, 16 — Rodrigo Hernandez, 17 — Nico Williams, 18 — Martin Zubimendi, 19 — Lamine Yamal, 20 — Pedri Gonzalez, 21 — Mikel Oyarzabal, 22 — Pau Cubarsi, 23 — Unai Simon, 24 — Marc Cucurella, 25 — Victor Muñoz, 26 — Borja Iglesias.
The 2026 World Cup final will take place on July 19 in New York. Spain is considered one of the favorites of the tournament, but much will depend on the physical condition of its leaders and their successful adaptation to new conditions. For reference: in previous major tournaments, the Spanish national team has often surprised with unconventional squad and tactical decisions, and the allocation of squad numbers has sometimes drawn particular attention from experts and fans.
