Luis Enrique’s Spain revamp is almost complete, as La Roja eye a World Cup tilt with a wonderful squad packed full of red-hot talent and big-stage experience.
Spain’s transition from the golden generation was initially painful, with a group stage exit in 2014 and heartbreak in the last 16 in Russia four years later proving well below their expectations.
They turned their fortunes around at Euro 2020 and reached the semi-finals with the likes of Pedri and Ferran Torres injecting life into the team.
With an even stronger pool of talent to choose from for Qatar, Spain must be considered one of the main contenders for this year’s crown.
Projected Spain World Cup squad 2022
Enrique will have until Friday, October 21 to submit an official preliminary list of 35-55 players to FIFA, from which he will select a final 26-man roster for Qatar by Monday, November 14.
Based on World Cup qualifying squads and friendly rosters over the past year, these are the names most likely to be on his preliminary list.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | David De Gea | Manchester United (ENG) | 31 | 45 |
| Goalkeeper | David Raya | Brentford (ENG) | 27 | 1 |
| Goalkeeper | Unai Simon | Athletic Bilbao (SPA) | 25 | 27 |
| Goalkeeper | Robert Sanchez | Brighton (ENG) | 24 | 1 |
| Defender | Sergio Ramos | PSG (FRA) | 36 | 180 |
| Defender | Cesar Azpilicueta | Chelsea (ENG) | 33 | 41 |
| Defender | Hugo Guillamon | Valencia (SPA) | 22 | 3 |
| Defender | Inigo Martinez | Athletic Bilbao (SPA) | 31 | 19 |
| Defender | Dani Carvajal | Real Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 30 |
| Defender | Diego Llorente | Leeds United (ENG) | 29 | 10 |
| Defender | Eric Garcia | Barcelona (SPA) | 21 | 18 |
| Defender | Jose Gaya | Valencia (SPA) | 27 | 18 |
| Defender | Jordi Alba | Barcelona (SPA) | 33 | 86 |
| Defender | Pau Torres | Villarreal (SPA) | 25 | 21 |
| Defender | Aymeric Laporte | Manchester City (ENG) | 28 | 15 |
| Defender | Marcos Alonso | Barcelona (SPA) | 31 | 9 |
| Midfielder | Sergio Busquets | Barcelona (SPA) | 36 | 146 |
| Midfielder | Pedri | Barcelona (SPA) | 19 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Rodri | Manchester City (ENG) | 26 | 34 |
| Midfielder | Koke | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 67 |
| Midfielder | Thiago | Liverpool (ENG) | 31 | 46 |
| Midfielder | Dani Olmo | RB Leipzig (GER) | 24 | 24 |
| Midfielder | Gavi | Barcelona (SPA) | 18 | 12 |
| Midfielder | Pablo Sarabia | PSG (FRA) | 30 | 24 |
| Midfielder | Marcos Llorente | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 27 | 17 |
| Midfielder | Mikel Merino | Real Sociedad (SPA) | 26 | 11 |
| Midfielder | Sergi Roberto | Barcelona (SPA) | 30 | 11 |
| Midfielder | Carlos Soler | PSG (FRA) | 25 | 11 |
| Forward | Marco Asensio | Real Madrid (SPA) | 26 | 29 |
| Forward | Nico Williams | Athletic Bilbao (SPA) | 20 | 2 |
| Forward | Borja Iglesias | Real Betis (SPA) | 29 | 1 |
| Forward | Yeremi Pino | Villarreal (SPA) | 19 | 6 |
| Forward | Ferran Torres | Barcelona (SPA) | 22 | 30 |
| Forward | Rodrigo | Leeds United (ENG) | 31 | 27 |
| Forward | Ansu Fati | Barcelona (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| Forward | Alvaro Morata | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 29 | 57 |
Final 26-man Spain World Cup roster
Spain meet with Jordan for a World Cup warm-up on November 17, by which time Enrique will have announced his squad for the tournament.
Here’s a projected look at a plausible 26-man list, assuming all his players are fit and ready.
One big injury to watch will be the availability of Barcelona full-back Sergi Roberto, who suffered a dislocated shoulder in late October and his recovery time has yet to be determined.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | David Raya | Brentford (ENG) | 27 | 1 |
| Goalkeeper | Unai Simon | Athletic Bilbao (SPA) | 25 | 7 |
| Goalkeeper | Robert Sanchez | Brighton (ENG) | 24 | 1 |
| Defender | Sergio Ramos | PSG (FRA) | 36 | 180 |
| Defender | Cesar Azpilicueta | Chelsea (ENG) | 33 | 41 |
| Defender | Dani Carvajal | Real Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 30 |
| Defender | Eric Garcia | Manchester City (ENG) | 21 | 18 |
| Defender | Jose Gaya | Valencia (SPA) | 27 | 18 |
| Defender | Jordi Alba | Barcelona (SPA) | 33 | 86 |
| Defender | Pau Torres | Villarreal (SPA) | 25 | 21 |
| Defender | Marcos Alonso | Barcelona (SPA) | 31 | 9 |
| Defender | Aymeric Laporte | Manchester City (ENG) | 28 | 15 |
| Midfielder | Sergio Busquets | Barcelona (SPA) | 36 | 146 |
| Midfielder | Pedri | Barcelona (SPA) | 19 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Rodri | Manchester City (ENG) | 26 | 34 |
| Midfielder | Koke | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 67 |
| Midfielder | Thiago | Liverpool (ENG) | 31 | 46 |
| Midfielder | Gavi | Barcelona (SPA) | 18 | 12 |
| Midfielder | Pablo Sarabia | PSG (FRA) | 30 | 24 |
| Midfielder | Marcos Llorente | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 27 | 17 |
| Midfielder | Carlos Soler | PSG (FRA) | 25 | 11 |
| Midfielder | Sergi Roberto | Barcelona (SPA) | 30 | 11 |
| Forward | Marco Asensio | Real Madrid (SPA) | 26 | 29 |
| Forward | Ferran Torres | Barcelona (SPA) | 22 | 30 |
| Forward | Ansu Fati | Barcelona (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| Forward | Alvaro Morata | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 29 | 57 |
Spain World Cup group
It’s a tricky Group E that awaits Spain in Qatar. If they can overcome this test unscathed, the other leading challengers will likely sit up and take notice.
Costa Rica and Japan have both reached the knockout rounds in recent times, while 2014 world champions Germany are rock solid once again after a catastrophic time in Russia and disappointment at Euro 2020.
Spain World Cup fixtures and match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Spain vs. Costa Rica | 11:00 a.m. | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Spain vs. Germany | 2:00 p.m. | Al Bayt Stadium |
| Thu, Dec. 1 | Spain vs. Japan | 2:00 p.m. | Khalifa International Stadium |
