Barça supplies seven of Spain’s 21 players for the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar
Barcelona has more players than any other club in David Cubillo's Spain squad for the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar. The selection gives La Masia a central role in Spain's campaign in Doha.
David Cubillo has leaned heavily on La Masia for Spain’s Under-17 World Cup campaign. The coach’s list includes Raúl Expósito, Sergi Mayans, Baba Kourouma, Jordi Pesquer, Ebrima Tunkara, Roberto Tomás and Iu Martínez.
Beyond the defenders, Tunkara and Tomás are among the midfielders. Martínez is listed in attack. He is the lone Barça forward in the group.
Tunkara shares top billing with Madrid’s Enzo Alves
Tunkara arrives with a profile beyond youth football. The midfielder has been training with Barcelona’s first team. EFE named him as one of the squad’s two headline players, alongside Real Madrid forward Enzo Alves, son of former Madrid defender Marcelo.
The call-ups come at a cost for the club. The Barça players will miss Barça Atlètic and youth matches while the tournament runs from 19 November to 13 December. Most of the squad was born in 2009. The RFEF classes that group as Under-18. FIFA counts the calendar year, while UEFA and the RFEF count seasons running from July 1 to June 30.
Spain chase the one major FIFA trophy still missing
The stakes for the squad are clear. The Under-17 World Cup is the only major FIFA trophy Spanish football has never won, in either the men’s or the women’s game. Portugal is the defending champion after beating Austria 1-0 in last year’s final. The 48-team tournament is in Qatar for the second year in a row. Qatar will host it every year through 2029.
The draw took place on May 21 at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich. Spain was placed in the top pot for the draw, based on FIFA’s rankings, and landed in Group H. All three group games are at Doha’s Aspire Zone. China comes first on Pitch 5, followed by Fiji on Pitch 4. The closing fixture against Morocco is Match 63, on Pitch 2. FIFA singled it out as one of the standout matchups of the group stage.
Cubillo has also called up four extra players to help with preparations. The squad will train at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas until Monday, November 16, before traveling to its base camp in Doha.
