Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has not ruled out that Dani Carvajal may enter the squad for the World Cup, after leaving him out of the last call-up before the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The 33-year-old was the main absentee from his team, which included four goalkeepers.
La Roja have scheduled two friendlies against Serbia and Morocco for the upcoming international break, and de la Fuente has named his final squad before opting for the World Cup. In particular, he called up four goalkeepers to the squad, adding Barcelona’s Joan Garcia to the usual trio of Unai Simon, David Raya and Alex Remiro.
“Rules are meant to be broken. He is a top-class goalkeeper, we didn’t just discover that; he was an under-21 player for five years. He can contribute to making a dynamic team, efficiency, cooperation, and the ability to pressure others… Today we felt it was the right time for him to join us. The best news is that we have many players to choose from,” Diario Fuente told AS Fuente.
🚨 OFFICIAL: Marc Bernal has been called up by Spain U21 during the international break. [@SEFutbol] pic.twitter.com/Xijzu7bQ7M
– barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 20, 2026
De la Fuente on the summons of Joan Garcia
It was then put to de la Fuente that it would damage the chemistry of the goalkeeper department, and perhaps more obviously, add undue pressure to the other three goalkeepers. The Spanish coach announced that he would take all four of them to the World Cup.
“We still have a lot of time, and any player who is not on the list does not mean that he has been excluded. It was the right time to have four very good goalkeepers. It is a very unusual World Cup, which gives us ideas to make decisions, and we believe that the decisions will be appropriate for the tournament. We can have 26 players and one goalkeeper who should be left out, and we will think about it in the future.”
“I don’t understand. It’s good news that we have a problem with the selection of players. There is no controversy about it; you all create that. No pressure, and we bring what we need to bring. We will always work professionally and be honest. They say, ‘Stop the problem with De la Fuente now, I have to call Joan García’… Does anyone believe that Joaan would hurt me? We didn’t have the courage to bring three or four players because it was the right thing to do.
Carvajal’s chances of making the World Cup
After overcoming his injury problem, Manchester City midfielder Rodri Hernandez is back in the team. However, there was no place for Dani Carvajal, even though he has been fit since January.
“We celebrate Rodri’s time, we celebrate that he is with us. We have Carvajal… everyone knows what he has to do at home and we hope he will get better so he can be with us; he is a very important player.”
“They have to keep working as they are. Both Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Morata have to keep working, and that’s how they understand football, so they can show it on the pitch. Hopefully, Dani will bring back the form he showed at the Euros… They need to play, get back to their normal level, and then they’ll be with us.”
🚨 Luis De La Fuente: “Marc [Pubill] you have a good season. We prioritize the health of the players. The information we received from the team and national team doctors is that the player has not fully recovered. As I always emphasize, we do not take risks with players.… pic.twitter.com/2fVQzHpExM
– Atlético Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 20, 2026
De la Fuente’s reaction to the cancellation of La Finalissima
De la Fuente was often asked about his reaction to the cancellation of La Finalissima against Argentina.
“The Finalissima was a game to win the title, but we were looking beyond that, we are preparing for the World Cup. It is true that we wanted to play and win it so that we can enjoy it with the players. We have not been together since November, this window was very important for us, to regain our form, to see new players.”
La Roja enters the World Cup as one of the favorites in this competition, but they lack key players in their victory at Euro 2024, at least Carvajal. Nico Williams is also sidelined with injury, and there are doubts over the fitness of Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Merino.
