One of the best young midfielders on the planet will be watching from the bench when Spain faces Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final. Luis de la Fuente has left Pedri González out of his starting XI for the biggest match in international football, a decision that caps a tournament in which the Barcelona star has been systematically sidelined during the knockout rounds.
It is, to put it mildly, a strange situation. Pedri is fully fit, Spain is in the final, and the coach is not playing him. That is not a rumor. That is the lineup.
How we got here
The benching did not come out of nowhere. De la Fuente left Pedri out of the starting XI for the quarterfinal against Belgium on July 10, and again for the semifinal against France. Spain won both. The logic, at least from the coach’s perspective, is hard to argue with on pure results: Spain beat France 2-0 in the semifinal and are now 90 minutes away from a World Cup title.
De la Fuente has cited tactical reasoning, specifically a preference for greater attacking threat and fresher legs as the tournament has progressed. In plain terms, Fabián Ruiz has been chosen over Pedri in the midfield engine room, and Dani Olmo has taken the more advanced role that Pedri might otherwise occupy.
