Real Madrid suffered another blow ahead of the 2026 World Cup, after the final squads for the national teams saw a large number of its players absent, in an unusual scene within the Royal Club.
The last player to be excluded was Argentinian Franco Mastantono, after Lionel Scaloni decided to exclude him from the Argentinian national team’s squad participating in the World Cup, despite “La Tango” winning the title in the previous edition.
With Mastantonu excluded, the number of Real Madrid players absent from the tournament has risen to 12, representing one of the biggest blows the club has suffered in international competitions.
The French national team squad saw the absence of Eduardo Camavinga, after Didier Deschamps preferred to exclude him due to the strong competition in midfield, and Ferland Mendy was also left out due to a hamstring injury.
In England, Trent Alexander-Arnold continued his absence from the “Three Lions” squad, after coach Thomas Tuchel kept him out of his plans since June 2025.
But the biggest shock came from the Spanish national team, which announced its final squad without any Real Madrid players, in a historic first for “La Roja” in the World Cup.
Spain’s squad was missing Raul Asensio, Dani Carvajal, Gonzalo Garcia, Dean Hoesen, Dani Ceballos, Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras, while Barcelona had eight players in the Spanish national team squad.
Real Madrid’s suffering was not limited to technical exclusions, but injuries also imposed themselves strongly, after the club lost the Brazilian duo Rodrygo and Eder Militao, who suffered serious injuries that ended their chances of participating with the Brazilian national team in the tournament.
In contrast, the participation of Federico Valverde with the Uruguayan national team, and Arda Guler with the Turkish national team, remains pending until the official announcement of the final lists.
Despite the numerous absences, Real Madrid will still have a strong presence at the 2026 World Cup, with a number of its big stars, led by Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, Englishman Jude Bellingham, and Brazilian Vinicius Junior, along with Thibaut Courtois, Brahim Diaz, Aurelien Tchouaméni, Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba.
