Women’s World Cup 2023: Spain national team roster | Selected players, omissions and fixtures

If football were played by robots and on paper, Spain would win every time. But we know that it’s not. It’s played on grass by human beings, which makes things slightly more prone to variables. Spain have had a tough time over the past 8-12 months, with the topic of Las 15 - fifteen players who rejected the national team over disputes regarding the way things had been done within the Spanish setup - filled the normally fresh, mountainous air of Spain’s training ground like heavy smog.

The questions had flown in from all directions and in all languages insults and harsh comments to the manager, Jorge Vilda, made it through the door. The players themselves have spoken only sporadically on the situation, giving out details at various points over the course of the year, without ever saying what actually needed changing. In short, nobody came out of the situation in a positive light, but the arrival of a World Cup brought professionalism to the top of the debate; were the players going to come back? Was the RFEF going to cede to their complaints?

Well, in the end, some of the players, three to be precise (plus Alexia), came back into the preliminary squad ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Spain are in Group C of the World Cup and will face Costa Rica, Zambia and Japan in New Zealand.

Sheila García made the preliminary list but dropped out through injury, and then it fell to Vilda to cut the rest of the team down, with Elene Lete, Jana, Fiamma, Maite, Inma and Marta Cardona all missing out.

Spain Women’s World Cup squad list:

Here is the full list of 23 players who will travel: