Pau Cubarsí
Spain
DEF
Age
19
Appearances
8
Tackles won
5
About Pau Cubarsí
Pau Cubarsí is the Barcelona centre-back named in Spain's final 26 for the 2026 World Cup, announced by head coach Luis de la Fuente on 25 May 2026. He is 19 at kick-off, listed in the defender group, and brings 11 senior caps with zero international goals into the squad as of 27 March 2026. Rodri captains the side that qualified out of UEFA Group E for the tournament.
Spain's defender pool — Laporte, Cucurella, García, Llorente, Porro, Grimaldo and Pubill alongside Cubarsí — gives de la Fuente eight defender options for the Group H rotation. Cubarsí's own route into that group ran through Barcelona's La Masia academy from 2018, before a senior Spain debut on 22 March 2024 against Colombia.
Spain's defender pool — Laporte, Cucurella, García, Llorente, Porro, Grimaldo and Pubill alongside Cubarsí — gives de la Fuente eight defender options for the Group H rotation. Cubarsí's own route into that group ran through Barcelona's La Masia academy from 2018, before a senior Spain debut on 22 March 2024 against Colombia.
World Cup 2026 Stats
Appearances
8
Minutes played
750
Tackles won
5
Interceptions
5
Clearances
31
Blocks
2
Playing Style
Cubarsí plays centre-back: aerial duels, line-keeping, recovery pace and step-up tackling in front of the goalkeeper, plus set-piece threat at both ends. That is the position frame inside de la Fuente's 4-3-3.
On 12 March 2024 he was Player of the Match on his Champions League knockout debut, a 3-1 win over Napoli, becoming the youngest player to appear in that round at 17 years and 50 days. Before that he had broken into the Barcelona first team on 18 January 2024 in the Copa del Rey.
On 12 March 2024 he was Player of the Match on his Champions League knockout debut, a 3-1 win over Napoli, becoming the youngest player to appear in that round at 17 years and 50 days. Before that he had broken into the Barcelona first team on 18 January 2024 in the Copa del Rey.
World Cup History
Cubarsí is set to play his first senior World Cup if his place in the final 26 holds at kick-off, with Spain qualifying by winning UEFA Group E on 18 November 2025. He was excluded from the UEFA Euro 2024 final squad, so 2026 is his maiden senior World Cup.
His international career to date is 11 senior caps, an Olympic gold with Spain U23 at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, and runner-up at the 2025 UEFA Nations League with the senior side. His Spain senior debut on 22 March 2024 against Colombia made him Spain's youngest-ever defender at 17 years, one month and 28 days, breaking the record set by Sergio Ramos.
His international career to date is 11 senior caps, an Olympic gold with Spain U23 at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, and runner-up at the 2025 UEFA Nations League with the senior side. His Spain senior debut on 22 March 2024 against Colombia made him Spain's youngest-ever defender at 17 years, one month and 28 days, breaking the record set by Sergio Ramos.
National Team
Spain
📋 Teammates (16)
Goalkeepers
Defenders
Midfielders
Forwards
Goal Rush Impact
Spain are a Tier 1 Goal Rush pick at £32m, the highest band within the game's £200m card budget. The Group H draw — Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay — sets the early fixture window, with de la Fuente's confirmed 4-3-3 and a UEFA Group E qualifying win providing the team-slot context.
Cubarsí's contribution at that tier is defensive, not scoring: line-keeping, recovery pace, and set-piece threat at both ends of the pitch. Champions League knockout-stage minutes from March 2024 already sit on his senior ledger.
Cubarsí's contribution at that tier is defensive, not scoring: line-keeping, recovery pace, and set-piece threat at both ends of the pitch. Champions League knockout-stage minutes from March 2024 already sit on his senior ledger.
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Cubarsí at the 2026 World Cup
Cubarsí enters the 2026 World Cup as one of Spain's centre-back options, with a La Masia upbringing that delivered his Spain senior debut and Player-of-the-Match Champions League knockout minutes both at 17. De la Fuente has him listed in the back-four group, and his match-day relevance hinges on how the manager rotates the defensive line across Group H games.
Picking Spain in Goal Rush
For Goal Rush, picking Spain means committing to the Tier 1 slot at £32m, the highest band on the card. The Group H matchday window opens against Cape Verde at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on 15 June, then Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on 21 June, and Uruguay in Zapopan on 26 June — three fixtures where Cubarsí could feature as one of Spain's eight defender options.
Pau Cubarsí World Cup 2026 FAQs
Spain sit at the top of Goal Rush — Tier 1 at £32m per slot — and Cubarsí is one of eight defenders in de la Fuente's final 26. His matchday relevance hangs on whether he starts in the back-line rotation for Spain's Group H games.
Cubarsí is a centre-back. He plays for Barcelona and lines up in the centre-back group for Spain, with a position frame built on aerial duels, recovery pace, and set-piece threat in both penalty areas.
Cubarsí has 11 senior caps for Spain, all earned since his debut against Colombia in March 2024, and has yet to score his first international goal. The 2026 World Cup is set to be his first at senior level for Spain.
Cubarsí plays for Barcelona on a contract that runs to 30 June 2029, with a €500m release clause. He is a Barcelona academy graduate who reached the first team in January 2024 and went on to a Champions League knockout-stage debut against Napoli two months later.
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