Luis Enrique's Spain revamp is almost complete, as La Roja eye World Cup success with a wonderful squad packed full of red-hot talent and big-stage experience.
Spain are coming off positive showings at Euro 2020, where they reached the semifinals with the likes of Pedri and Ferran Torres injecting life into the team. They also advanced to the 2021 UEFA Nations League final, losing to France with 10 minutes left.
These were positive signs as Spain transitions away from their golden generation that helped them win the 2010 World Cup. That was followed by a surprise group-stage exit in the 2014 edition and last-16 elimination in Russia four years later.
But now with a younger, and even stronger pool of talent to pick from for Qatar, Spain are considered amongst the leading candidates for this year's crown, completing a remarkable turnaround.
More: Spain World Cup's fixtures for Qatar 2022
Spain World Cup 2022 squad
Enrique continued his policy of unorthodox squad announcements with a dramatic live reading of his final 26 players for Qatar.
Barcelona are heavily represented in the squad, with veterans Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba joined by Pedri, Gavi and Ansu Fati, despite the latter's struggles for fitness.
Alejandro Balde was later added as a replacement for the injured Jose Gaya, taking Barca's total number of representatives at the World Cup to 17, the most of any club.
Stats correct as of start Qatar 2022
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 13 | David Raya | Brentford (ENG) | 27 | 2 |
| GK | 1 | Robert Sanchez | Brighton (ENG) | 24 | 2 |
| GK | 23 | Unai Simon | Athletic Bilbao (SPA) | 25 | 27 |
| DEF | 18 | Jordi Alba | Barcelona (SPA) | 33 | 87 |
| DEF | 15 | Hugo Guillamon | Valencia (SPA) | 22 | 3 |
| DEF | 2 | Cesar Azpilicueta | Chelsea (ENG) | 33 | 42 |
| DEF | 20 | Dani Carvajal | Real Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 31 |
| DEF | 3 | Eric Garcia | Barcelona (SPA) | 21 | 19 |
| DEF | 14 | Alejandro Balde | Barcelona (SPA) | 19 | 0 |
| DEF | 24 | Aymeric Laporte | Manchester City (ENG) | 28 | 16 |
| DEF | 4 | Pau Torres | Villarreal (SPA) | 25 | 22 |
| MID | 5 | Sergio Busquets | Barcelona (SPA) | 36 | 146 |
| MID | 9 | Gavi | Barcelona (SPA) | 18 | 13 |
| MID | 8 | Koke | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 68 |
| MID | 6 | Marcos Llorente | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 27 | 17 |
| MID | 26 | Pedri | Barcelona (SPA) | 19 | 14 |
| MID | 16 | Rodri | Manchester City (ENG) | 26 | 35 |
| MID | 19 | Carlos Soler | PSG (FRA) | 25 | 12 |
| FWD | 21 | Dani Olmo | RB Leipzig (GER) | 24 | 25 |
| FWD | 10 | Marco Asensio | Real Madrid (SPA) | 26 | 30 |
| FWD | 25 | Ansu Fati | Barcelona (SPA) | 19 | 5 |
| FWD | 7 | Alvaro Morata | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 29 | 57 |
| FWD | 17 | Yeremi Pino | Villarreal (SPA) | 20 | 7 |
| FWD | 11 | Ferran Torres | Barcelona (SPA) | 22 | 31 |
| FWD | 12 | Nico Williams | Athletic Bilbao (SPA) | 20 | 3 |
| FWD | 22 | Pablo Sarabia | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 30 | 25 |
*Caps correct as of Qatar 2022
WORLD CUP 2022 SELECTED SQUADS:
Australia | Argentina | Belgium | Brazil | Cameroon
Canada | Costa Rica | Croatia | Denmark | England
France | Germany | Ghana | Iran | Japan | Mexico
Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Senegal
Serbia | Spain | Switzerland | Uruguay | USA | Wales
Spain best player, national team strengths & weaknesses
Stars
Spain will bring a well-balanced, star-packed squad to Qatar. Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba among the last remaining members of the golden generation — both likely to be playing their final World Cup.
Barcelona trio Ferran Torres, Pedri and Gavi will add the star power from the new breed of Spanish talent.
Strengths
Spain's veterans will provide the backbone, but the key to glory lies in their young talents. Gavi (18), Pedri (19), Ansu Fati (19) and Ferran Torres (22) are already established names but could announce themselves as true superstars in Qatar.
They'll provide the creative spark to keep Spain partying deep into the tournament.
Record-breaking 🇪🇸
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 23, 2022
Spain have scored seven goals in a match for the first time at the #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/biyQLQpiGg
Weaknesses
Alvaro Morata has bagged an average of nearly one goal every two games for Spain, but he's a much less reliable focal point than predecessors Fernando Torres and David Villa.
The Atletico Madrid striker, who has fallen short of his massive potential up to now, holds the opportunity to make a statement this year. There will certainly be no shortage of chances created for him.
Can Spain replace players on their World Cup squad?
Once the final 26-man roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup can only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules (page 32), "a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team's first match."
The team in question would need to submit a medical report to FIFA and if the world governing body determines "the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent the player from taking part in the FIFA World Cup" then the replacement will be allowed.
The replacement player must come from the preliminary list of players submitted to FIFA in October.