Dean Huijsen shares his first thoughts after not making Spain’s World Cup team
Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen has spoken out for the first time after being left out of Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad for the 2026 World Cup. This will be the first time Spain plays in a World Cup without any Real Madrid players, and Huijsen’s omission was one of the biggest surprises when the 26-man team was announced on Monday.
The 21-year-old joined Real Madrid from Bournemouth last summer for £50 million. He even played the full 90 minutes in Spain’s recent match against Egypt just two months ago. Born in Amsterdam, Huijsen made six appearances for Spain in 2025, starting with his debut in March.
It was reported on Tuesday that people close to Huijsen were confident he would be on the World Cup team, partly because he took part in promotional events for the tournament in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Other notable players left out include Dani Carvajal, EURO 2024 captain Alvaro Morata, and Atletico Madrid defender Robin Le Normand.
Huijsen has now shared his first public message after the squad announcement. “Many congratulations to my teammates who will be at the World Cup,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. “I’ll be cheering for them from home—just like every other Spaniard.”
Spain will compete in Group H next month. They will start their World Cup journey against Cape Verde in Atlanta, then face Saudi Arabia, also in Atlanta, and finally Uruguay in Zapopan.
Athletic Club’s Aymeric Laporte was chosen over Huijsen, along with Atleti’s Marc Pubill, and Barcelona’s Eric Garcia and Pau Cubarsi. Cubarsi, at 19, is younger than Huijsen but has already played 11 senior games. Pubill, who can also play full-back, hasn’t yet made a senior appearance.
Here’s a look at the squad:
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, David Raya, Joan Garcia
Defenders: Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill, Eric García, Marcos Llorente, Pedro Porro
Midfielders: Pedri, Fabian Ruiz, Martín Zubimendi, Gavi, Rodrigo Hernandez, Alex Baena, Mikel Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal
Forwards: Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Yeremy Pino, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Víctor Muñoz, Lamine Yamal