Spain squad arrives in Puebla for final World Cup warm-up ahead of Peru friendly

The Spanish national football team arrived in Puebla, Mexico, on Sunday to begin the final leg of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup. The squad, known as La Roja, is set to face Peru in a friendly match on Monday, serving as the last opportunity for the coaching staff to assess their options before the tournament begins in earnest.

Upon arrival, the team was met by a significant turnout of Mexican fans who prepared a large welcome for the visitors. In response, the players engaged with the crowd by distributing autographs and posing for photographs, marking a positive start to their time on World Cup soil.

However, the squad travelling to Mexico is not at full strength. Three prominent players—Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Víctor Muñoz—are absent from the group. According to reports from Yahoo Sports, the trio remained in the United States to continue their recovery work rather than joining the main squad in Puebla. The specific nature of their injuries or the details of their rehabilitation protocols were not disclosed in the source material.

The absence of these key figures comes as Spain enters the tournament as a favourite, buoyed by their recent Euro 2024 victory and strong squad cohesion. The team’s primary objective in the group stage is to finish at the top of their pool to avoid a potential round-of-32 clash with Argentina. A first-place finish would likely set up a last-16 fixture against either Croatia or Colombia.

Spain’s next major competitive fixture is scheduled for 26 June, when they will face Uruguay in a group-stage match in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The team is aiming to replicate the success of their 2010 World Cup triumph, with potential semi-final scenarios against teams such as France in Dallas being discussed as part of their projected pathway.