Spain manager addresses World Cup call-up for Barcelona star

This season is a very important one for a number of Barcelona players, who have aspirations of playing at the 2026 World Cup. One of those is Joan Garcia, who has a chance of being one of the three goalkeepers selected by Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente to join his squad in North America.

Garcia, who was recently labelled as “one of the best goalkeepers in the world”, has made an excellent start to life at Barcelona following his summer move from Espanyol. Even before making the cross-city switch, he was touted for a Spain call-up, but 2026 could be the time that he breaks into the La Roja setup.

The prospect of a Garcia call-up has now been addressed by de la Fuente, who spoke to Diario AS (via Cadena SER) on his goalkeeping options for next summer’s World Cup.

“It’s true that we’re betting on these three now and we’re delighted with Unai (Simon), David (Raya) and Alex (Remiro), but we’ll see what happens between now and March or what happens between now and June, God knows. We have five or six of the best goalkeepers in the world. Nobody talks about Robert Sanchez, or Leo Roman either. And of course Joan García… because we have fantastic goalkeepers in Spain, fantastic.

“When that time comes, a decision will have to be made that will please some people more and others less. The decision I make is the one with which I will be convinced.”

Does Joan Garcia deserve to go to the World Cup?

Garcia has been among the best goalkeepers in La Liga over the last two seasons, but while he would be deserving of a call-up to the Spain squad, the same can be said for the trio of Simon, Raya and Remiro, who are in pole position to travel to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.