Yeremy Pino has been selected in Spain’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, giving the Crystal Palace forward a second chance on football’s biggest stage after he was also included in the 2022 squad in Qatar.
Pino has played 52 matches for Palace in all competitions this season, scoring five goals and setting up six more. In the Conference League, he has one goal and two assists. He was used as a replacement in both of Spain’s March friendlies, against Serbia and Egypt, and has now been kept in the plans as Spain prepare for a summer in which they are again expected to be among the favourites.
Spain’s campaign begins against Cape Verde on June 15, before games against Saudi Arabia on June 21 and Uruguay on June 27. The squad comes with its own striking detail: for the first time in World Cup history, there will be no Real Madrid players in Spain’s group, while Dean Huijsen and Dani Carvajal were not included.
Pino’s place also underlines the rise of Palace’s influence. He is joined in the Spain squad by David Raya, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino of Arsenal, Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella, Pedro Porro of Tottenham Hotspur and Rodri of Manchester City. Palace have more players in the Spain squad than Real Madrid, a rare snap of how the national setup is leaning toward form, not badge.
That matters because Pino’s season has not always been straightforward. He has often been involved without seeing his output fully reflected in the numbers, but Spain have still trusted him enough to bring him back for a World Cup group that will be judged against the expectation that follows a team fresh from winning Euro 2024 by beating England. For Pino, the selection is proof that he remains part of that picture; for Spain, it is another reminder that the squad they take into the tournament is deep enough to leave out familiar names and still look formidable.
