Spain has announced its squad for the 2026 World Cup, featuring seven Barcelona players. A particularly joyous moment was the inclusion of Gavi.
La Roja revealed the 26 names for the upcoming World Cup, notably excluding any Real Madrid players. While Gonzalo Garcia made the «support squad» for the training camp, Dean Huijsen was a notable absence from de la Fuente’s final selection.
Gavi’s ecstatic reaction to World Cup selection
Several Barcelona players were present at the training ground to witness the squad announcement. Lamine Yamal captured Gavi’s jubilant reaction upon hearing his name. Despite an injury-plagued past year, with only 13 appearances, Gavi’s recent form has convinced coach de la Fuente to include him in the squad.
#Gavi finds out he’s in the #Spain World Cup squad. pic.twitter.com/WnPyJB3C6I
— Football España (@footballespana_) May 25, 2026
Gavi’s injury struggles
Gavi’s injury woes began while on duty with Spain, as he suffered a cruciate ligament tear against Georgia in November 2023, which consequently ruled him out of Euro 2024. After a brief return last season, de la Fuente selected him for the Nations League finals, where he played the final minute of a 5-4 semi-final victory over France.
This was Gavi’s only appearance for Spain since 2023. It seemed his seven-month absence due to a knee injury would prevent him from making the World Cup squad. However, an injury to Frenkie de Jong allowed Gavi to secure a starting position in the final two months of Barcelona’s season, enough to convince de la Fuente of his potential contribution.
