Spain is entering the FIFA world cup 2022 as the group winners of their European qualifying rounds where the manager, Luis Enrique’s side won six out of eight games whilst stepping over the second-place finisher, Sweden.
The last two World Cups were absolutely not the results they had in plans. 2014 saw them being the victim of the champion’s curse; failing to qualify for the knockouts having won the previous tournament. Likewise in the following edition, they were heartbroken by the host Russia in the penalty shootouts in the round of 16.
The ‘Las Rojas’ currently is one of the only two teams to win the FIFA World Cup once, the other being England in 1966. So will they be the next ones to increase the title count?
But what players are among their 26-man squad for the mega footballing event impending in Qatar 2022?
Spain Squad FIFA World Cup 2022 – The 26 Players For Qatar
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | David Raya | Brentford (ENG) | 27 | 1 |
| Goalkeeper | Robert Sanchez | Brighton (ENG) | 24 | 1 |
| Goalkeeper | Unai Simon | Athletic Bilbao (SPA) | 25 | 7 |
| Defender | Jordi Alba | Barcelona (SPA) | 33 | 86 |
| Defender | Marcos Alonso | Barcelona (SPA) | 31 | 9 |
| Defender | Cesar Azpilicueta | Chelsea (ENG) | 33 | 41 |
| Defender | Dani Carvajal | Real Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 30 |
| Defender | Eric Garcia | Barcelona (SPA) | 21 | 18 |
| Defender | Jose Gaya | Valencia (SPA) | 27 | 18 |
| Defender | Aymeric Laporte | Manchester City (ENG) | 28 | 15 |
| Defender | Pau Torres | Villarreal (SPA) | 25 | 21 |
| Midfielder | Sergio Busquets | Barcelona (SPA) | 36 | 146 |
| Midfielder | Gavi | Barcelona (SPA) | 18 | 12 |
| Midfielder | Koke | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 67 |
| Midfielder | Marcos Llorente | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 27 | 17 |
| Midfielder | Dani Olmo | RB Leipzig (GER) | 24 | 24 |
| Midfielder | Pedri | Barcelona (SPA) | 19 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Sergi Roberto | Barcelona (SPA) | 30 | 11 |
| Midfielder | Rodri | Manchester City (ENG) | 26 | 34 |
| Midfielder | Carlos Soler | PSG (FRA) | 25 | 11 |
| Midfielder | Thiago | Liverpool (ENG) | 31 | 46 |
| Forward | Marco Asensio | Real Madrid (SPA) | 26 | 29 |
| Forward | Ansu Fati | Barcelona (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| Forward | Alvaro Morata | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 29 | 57 |
| Forward | Pablo Sarabia | PSG (FRA) | 30 | 24 |
| Forward | Ferran Torres | Barcelona (SPA) | 22 | 30 |
Spain Group Table: The Toughest
It’s the most anticipated group in Qatar 2022 for being the pool of death as Spain will be facing their European rival, traditional big name, and four-time world champion, Germany. As if that wasn’t the hardest they will also have to go through the resilient defense and hard-to-extract-win-from team, Costa Rica. Their next opponent during the group phase will be the ever-so-ambitious force of Japan who although a relatively easier opponent, asks for too much work before giving up the win.
Spain Group Fixtures
| 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 |
What Makes Spain Dangerous?
In recent times Spain has been featuring threats all over the pitch. Not just their forwards but their midfielders Pedri, Gavi, Carlos Soler, and Dani Olmo are all equally capable of scoring goals. And while the talisman duo, Alvaro Morata, and Pablo Sarabia have been lately struggling to find their forms the finesse of their attacking midfield is enough to compensate for that lack.
However once Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, and Borja Iglesias are introduced to the picture the attacking line of Spain becomes quite concerning for others.
Their style of play with dominant possession and constant attacking doesn’t leave many chances for the opponent to let their guard down or be in their tempo even for a second. At times it could be a full-on chasing the ball for the competitors from minute one.
Add to all this, they have a UCL winner tactician as their manager, Luis Enrique.
Spain Weaknesses
Spain’s golden era of three consecutive major tournament win from 2008 to 2012 is long gone. The recent team although full of promising talents still looks like they are going to take time before they hit that once-in-a-lifetime momentum.
However, one thing that has been clearly worrying Enrique is that Spain’s boss is yet to resolve the issue of a solid finisher in the box. They do have forwards but as mentioned they often lack the assurance to net the goals and frankly might be of little to no help when faced with majestic backlines.
The possession-based football might also backfire. Once they concede a goal, Spain’s game can be lethargic to watch with even the best midfielders struggling to connect to their frontline that are very likely to lack focus when the defense is rigidly compact.
