Spain's 2018 World Cup squad: Who joins Ramos & Iniesta in 23-man list? La Roja will be among the favourites in Russia and coach Julen Lopetegui has a wealth of talent from which to choose. So who has made the cut? Spain are a team on form. By thrashing Argentina 6-1 in Madrid at the end of March, Julen Lopetegui's side extended their unbeaten run to 18 games, and they will be one of the fancied sides in Russia this summer. European champions in 2008 and 2012 and World Cup winners in 2010, Spain disappointed in their last two major tournaments – crashing out in the group stages of the 2014 World Cup and losing in the last 16 of Euro 2016. Coach Vicente del Bosque bowed out after the continental competition and Lopetegui took over, leading La Roja in an impressive qualifying campaign as they topped Group G with nine wins and a draw from their 10 games. Article continues below A 1-1 draw with Germany in Dusseldorf and then the resounding victory over Argentina in March continued the Basque boss' unbeaten record and Spain have been identified as one of the principal candidates to lift the trophy in Moscow this July. Lopetegui has now decided which players to take to Russia and Goal has a look at who made the cut, as well as who didn't. Who made Spain's 23-man squad? Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is Spain's undisputed first choice these days after Lopetegui decided to dispense with former captain Iker Casillas, and young Athletic Club shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga will be his reserve in Russia, with Pepe Reina bringing experience to the panel. In defence, Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique have both been included. The Real Madrid captain is Spain's skipper, while the Barcelona centre-back is also extremely important for La Roja and is bowing out after the World Cup. In the full-back positions, Barca's Jordi Alba and Madrid's Dani Carvajal are also guaranteed of their places in the squad this summer. Players able to cover in several positions are always useful, meanwhile, and that makes Nacho a sensible inclusion - the dependable Madrid man is able to play all across the back line. Arsenal's Nacho Monreal and Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta are similarly versatile and Alvaro Odriozola has earned his place after starring for Real Sociedad. Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets is back in the fold and on the plane to Russia, along with his club colleague Andres Iniesta, who is leaving the Catalan club this summer and has said he will probably retire from international football after the World Cup. Madrid pair Isco and Marco Asensio are also key for Lopetegui, along with Manchester City's David Silva and Bayern Munich's Thiago. They are all assured of their places in the 23-man list, and they are joined by Atletico Madrid duo Koke and Saul, with Lopetegui a big admirer of both players. Further forward, Diego Costa will be in competition with the likes of Celta Vigo forward Iago Aspas, Valencia star Rodrigo and Real Madrid's Lucas Vazquez . Who didn't make the Spain squad? Given the impressive depth of talent at Lopetegui's disposal it was inevitable that a number of high profile stars would be omitted and one of the biggest names to miss out is Alvaro Morata, whose form since joining Chelsea has been disappointing. Morata's team-mate Marcos Alonso has been one of the best wing-backs in the Premier League over the past two seasons, but does not fit into the picture for Spain, while Rodri and Dani Parejo, who were in the squad for the Germany and Argentina friendlies, are not included. Another Chelsea star, Pedro, has fallen down the pecking order for La Roja, while Manchester United's Juan Mata has also drifted out of the scene since the arrival of Lopetegui. Mata's club-mate Ander Herrera has never quite forced his way into the national team and is an unsurprising omission. Marc Bartra, now at Betis, has featured under the Basque boss, but the former Barcelona defender is some way down the list and will be watching at home this summer, along with Liverpool's Alberto Moreno. David Villa returned to the fold last year in a friendly, but his comeback was cut short by injury and the New York City FC striker is not likely to feature again for the national team. Another veteran, Athletic's Aritz Aduriz, also seems surplus to requirements following a run of appearances in 2017. Atletico's Vitolo and Napoli's Jose Callejon, who both featured against Russia last November, are absent, along with Gerard Deulofeu, the Barca winger shipped out on loan to Watford after a disappointing first half of the season with the Catalan club.<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section World Cup Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata has not made Spain's 23-man World Cup squad. The 25-year-old scored 11 goals in his debut season at Stamford Bridge and was a last-minute substitute in Saturday's FA Cup final win. Julen Lopetegui has named four Premier League players in his squad, with David de Gea, David Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta and Nacho Monreal all included. "Including four players up front was not something we wanted to do," said manager Lopetegui. "We have opted for three other players who had different assets." Spain begin their campaign against Portugal on 15 June in Sochi. Former Real Madrid striker Morata last played for the 2010 world champions in November 2017 when he scored once in a 5-0 win over Costa Rica. Despite his omission from the squad, the striker went on Twitter to wish his countrymen "lots of luck" in the tournament. Morata's Blues team-mates Marcos Alonso and Cesc Fabregas join Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin in also missing out on selection. There is room, however, for Morata's predecessor at Chelsea, with Diego Costa named among the strikers travelling to Russia. Real Madrid and Barcelona supply 10 players between them, with veteran Barca midfielder Andres Iniesta included following his final appearance for the Catalan giants on Sunday. BBC Euro Leagues Football Show analysis James Horncastle: "While Morata was Lopetegui's guy at under-21 level, you can't begrudge the manager overlooking him when he hasn't really played or lived up to expectations. Iago Aspas and Rodrigo have had good seasons. You get the impression Morata doesn't feel hard done by from his tweet." Julien Laurens: "When you look at Spain's World Cup squad, there was no way Cesc Fabregas deserved to be there. He's not as good as the other players in his position." Spain squad: Goalkeepers: David de Gea (Manchester United), Pepe Reina (Napoli), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao). Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal), Alvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad), Nacho Fernandez (Real Madrid), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea). Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Isco (Real Madrid), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), David Silva (Manchester City), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid), Koke (Atletico Madrid). Forwards: Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid), Rodrigo Moreno (Valencia), Lucas Vazquez (Real Madrid).<doc-sep>Álvaro Morata has paid the price for an indifferent season at Chelsea after being left out of Spain’s 23-man World Cup squad. The striker has become a peripheral figure at Chelsea since the January arrival of Olivier Giroud and will not be involved in Russia after the Spain coach Julen Lopetegui went with Diego Costa, Iago Aspas and Rodrigo as his strikers. “It’s always a difficult decision,” Lopetegui said. “There wasn’t anything negative about [Morata]. But we thought there were other players in the position who could help us.” “Best of luck in the World Cup,” Morata wrote on Twitter. “I’ll be supporting and cheering through the end, as always.” Instead of picking a fourth striker, Lopetegui opted to take eight defenders, including Arsenal’s Nacho Monreal, the only other surprise on the list. Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso and Marc Bartra were among the defenders left out. The squad features six players from Real Madrid and four from Barcelona. The Madrid players will report to the team’s training camp later than the other players because of their Champions League final commitments against Liverpool. Meanwhile, England’s Group G opponents Belgium have picked Christian Benteke despite his lack of goals for Crystal Palace in their preliminary 28-man squad. The striker, who scored just three times in the Premier League last season, got the nod from Roberto Martínez while Liverpool’s Divock Origi misses out. The Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan reacted to missing out of the squad by announcing his international retirement. In a message on Instagram, he wrote: “Very reluctantly my international career comes to an end...I’ve always done everything I could to represent my country Being yourself can be bothering ...From this day on I will be the first fan...” Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne were all included but there was also no place in Martínez’s squad for Everton’s Kevin Mirallas. Spain squad Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Manchester United), Pepe Reina (Napoli), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao) Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona), César Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Nacho Fernández (Real Madrid), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Álvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad) Midfielders: Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), Jorge “Koke” Resurreccion (Atletico Madrid), Saul Ňiguez (Atletico Madrid), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), David Silva (Manchester City), Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid), Francisco “Isco” Alarcón (Real Madrid) Forwards: Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Rodrigo (Valencia), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid) Belgium squad Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Matz Sels (Newcastle United) Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Laurent Ciman (LAFC), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Christian Kabasele (Watford), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Jordan Lukaku (Lazio), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur) Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Mousa Dembélé (Tottenham Hotspur), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian) Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli)<doc-sep>Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - Final 23-man lists Speculation has been rife as to who should make the cut for their country, but which players exactly will be participating? The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia begins on June 14 and ends on July 15, with 32 squads from around the globe taking part in football's most prestigious tournament. Of the 32 teams taking part, 20 of those will be making back-to-back appearances, including reigning champions Germany, while less recognised national sides such as Iceland and Panama are making their first appearances. Similarly, fans of the beautiful game will see star household names such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo represent their respective countries, but will also have the privilege of discovering new faces as coaches look to break in a new generation of younger players. Article continues below Speculation over which players should be 'on the plane' has been rife amongst those eager to see their favourite players turn out for their nations – but spaces in national squads are limited. So, how many players make the cut and who exactly who is going to Russia? Goal has all the answers. When will the World Cup squads be announced? FIFA require the final 23-man squad lists to be finalised on June 4 at the latest, although many countries have chosen to announce their teams in advance. While the FIFA deadline is in place it is at the discretion of each national team coach as to whether they wish to reveal their plans before those dates. Which teams have qualified for the World Cup? The full list of 32 teams qualified for Russia 2018 is as follows: Group A Group B Group C Group D Russia Portugal France Argentina Saudi Arabia Spain Australia Iceland Egypt Morocco Peru Croatia Uruguay Iran Denmark Nigeria Group E Group F Group G Group H Brazil Germany Belgium Poland Switzerland Sweden Panama Senegal Costa Rica Mexico Tunisia Colombia Serbia South Korea England Japan Every confirmed World Cup 2018 squad Group A Russia's 23-man final squad: Igor Akinfeev, Vladimir Gabulov, Andrey Lunev; Sergei Ignashevich, Mario Fernandes, Vladimir Granat, Fyodor Kudryashov, Andrei Semyonov, Igor Smolnikov, Ilya Kutepov, Aleksandr Yerokhin, Yuri Zhirkov, Daler Kuzyaev, Aleksandr Golovin, Alan Dzagoev, Roman Zobnin, Aleksandr Samedov, Yuri Gazinsky, Anton Miranchuk, Denis Cheryshev, Artyom Dzyuba, Aleksei Miranchuk, Fyodor Smolov Saudi Arabia's 23-man final squad: Mohammed Al-Owais, Yasser Al-Musailem, Abdullah Al-Mayuf; Mansoor Al-Harbi, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Mohammed Al-Burayk, Motaz Hawsawi, Osama Hawsawi, Ali Al-Bulaihi, Omar Othman; Abdullah Alkhaibari, Abdulmalek Alkhaibri, Abdullah Otayf, Taiseer Al-Jassam, Hussain Al-Moqahwi, Salman Al-Faraj, Mohamed Kanno, Hatan Bahbir, Salem Al-Dawsari, Yahia Al-Shehri; Fahad Al-Muwallad, Mohammad Al-Sahlawi, Muhannad Assiri Egypt's 23-man final squad: Essam El Hadary, Mohamed El-Shennawy, Sherif Ekramy; Ahmed Fathi, Abdallah Said, Saad Samir, Ayman Ashraf, Mohamed Abdel-Shafy, Ahmed Hegazi, Ali Gabr, Ahmed Elmohamady, Omar Gaber; Tarek Hamed, Mahmoud Shikabala, Sam Morsy, Mohamed Elneny, Mahmoud Kahraba, Ramadan Sobhi, Trezeguet, Amr Warda; Marwan Mohsen, Mohamed Salah, Mahmoud Elwensh Uruguay's 23-man final squad: Fernando Muslera, Martin Silva, Martin Campana, Diego Godin, Sebastian Coates, Jose Maria Gimenez, Maximiliano Pereira, Gaston Silva, Martin Caceres, Guillermo Varela, Nahitan Nandez, Lucas Torreira, Matias Vecino, Rodrigo Bentancur, Carlos Sanchez, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Diego Laxalt, Cristian Rodriguez, Jonathan Urretaviscaya, Cristhian Stuani, Maximiliano Gomez, Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez Group B Portugal's 23-man final squad: Anthony Lopes, Beto, Rui Patricio, Bruno Alves, Cedric Soares, Jose Fonte, Mario Rui, Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro, Ricardo Pereira, Ruben Dias, Adrien Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Mario, Joao Moutinho, Manuel Fernandes, William Carvalho, Andre Silva, Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gelson Martins, Goncalo Guedes, Ricardo Quaresma Spain's 23-man final squad: David de Gea, Pepe Reina, Kepa Arrizabalaga; Dani Carvajal, Alvaro Odriozola, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Nacho, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, Nacho Monreal; Sergio Busquets, Saul Niquez, Koke, Thiago Alcantara, Andres Iniesta, David Silva; Isco, Marcio Asensio, Lucas Vazquez, Iago Aspas, Rodrigo, Diego Costa. Morocco's 23-man final squad: Mounir El Kajoui, Yassine Bounou, Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti, Mehdi Benatia, Romain Saiss, Manuel Da Costa, Badr Benoun, Nabil Dirar, Achraf Hakimi, Hamza Mendyl; M'bark Boussoufa, Karim El Ahmadi, Youssef Ait Bennasser, Sofyan Amrabat, Younes Belhanda, Faycal Fajr, Amine Harit; Khalid Boutaib, Aziz Bouhaddouz, Ayoub El Kaabi, Nordin Amrabat, Mehdi Carcela, Hakim Ziyech Iran's 23-man final squad: Alireza Beiranvand, Rashid Mazaheri, Amir Abedzadeh; Ramin Rezaeian, Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh, Morteza Pouraliganji, Pejman Montazeri, Seyed Majid Hosseini, Milad Mohammadi, Roozbeh Cheshmi; Saeid Ezatolahi, Masoud Shojaei, Saman Ghoddos, Mehdi Torabi, Ashkan Dejagah, Omid Ebrahimi, Ehsan Hajsafi, Vahid Amiri; Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Karim Ansarifard, Mahdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun, Reza Ghoochannejhad Group C France's 23-man final squad: Alphonse Areola, Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda; Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Benjamin Mendy, Benjamin Pavard, Adil Rami, Djibril Sidibe, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane; N'Golo Kante, Blaise Matuidi, Steven N'Zonzi, Paul Pogba, Corentin Tolisso, Ousmane Dembele, Nabil Fekir; Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Lemar, Kylian Mbappe, Florian Thauvin Australia's 23-man final squad: Brad Jones, Mat Ryan, Danny Vukovic; Aziz Behich, Milos Degenek, Matthew Jurman, James Meredith, Josh Risdon, Trent Sainsbury; Jackson Irvine, Mile Jedinak, Robbie Kruse, Massimo Luongo, Mark Milligan, Aaron Mooy, Tom Rogic; Daniel Arzani, Tim Cahill, Tomi Juric, Mathew Leckie, Andrew Nabbout, Dimitri Petratos, Jamie Maclaren Peru's 23-man final squad: Carlos Caceda, Jose Carvallo, Pedro Gallese, Luis Advincula, Pedro Aquino, Miguel Araujo, Andre Carrillo, Wilder Cartagena, Aldo Corzo, Christian Cueva, Jefferson Farfan, Edison Flores, Paolo Hurtado, Nilson Loyola, Andy Polo, Christian Ramos, Alberto Rodriguez, Raul Ruidiaz, Anderson Santamaria, Renato Tapia, Miguel Trauco, Yoshimar Yotun, Paolo Guerrero Denmark's 23-man final squad: Kasper Schmeichel, Jonas Lossl, Frederik Ronow; Simon Kjaer, Andreas Christensen, Mathias Jorgensen, Jannik Vestergaard, Henrik Dalsgaard, Jens Stryger, Jonas Knudsen; William Kvist, Thomas Delaney, Lukas Lerager, Lasse Schone, Christian Eriksen, Michael Krohn-Dehli; Pione Sisto, Martin Braithwaite, Andreas Cornelius, Viktor Fischer, Yussuf Poulsen, Nicolai Jorgensen, Kasper Dolberg Group D Argentina's 23-man final squad: Nahuel Guzmán, Willy Caballero, Franco Armani; Gabriel Mercado, Nicolas Otamendi, Federico Fazio, Nicolas Tagliafico, Marcos Rojo, Marcos Acuna, Cristian Ansaldi, Eduardo Salvio; Javier Mascherano, Angel Di Maria, Ever Banega, Lucas Biglia, Manuel Lanzini, Gio Lo Celso, Maximiliano Meza; Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, Cristian Pavon<doc-sep>
La Roja are looking to win their fourth major title in the last 10 years in Russia but have opted to leave out Chelsea's record signing Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata has missed out on being named in Spain's squad for the 2018 World Cup. The former Real Madrid forward has struggled for form in the second half of his first campaign at Stamford Bridge, scoring 15 goals in 47 appearances for the Blues having joined for a club record £60 million ($80.5m) in the summer of 2017. Morata has previously scored 13 goals in 23 appearances for La Roja, but the likes of Diego Costa, Iago Aspas and Rodrigo Moreno have been preferred by head coach Julen Lopetegui. The former Real Madrid and Juventus striker took his omission well, tweeting minutes after the announcement that he wishes Spain "the best of luck at the World Cup" and that he'll be "supporting and encouraging the team until the end always". Muchísima suerte en el Mundial!! Desde ya estaré apoyando y animando hasta el final como siempre!! — Álvaro Morata (@AlvaroMorata) May 21, 2018 The 2010 winners have followed England's lead in naming their 23-man squad well ahead of time rather than an extended provisional roster as they look to win their fourth major tournament in a decade. David de Gea is set to start in goal after another fine season for Manchester United, with Clasico rivals Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique the established centre-back pairing. Arsenal's Nacho Monreal is preferred to Chelsea's Marcos Alonso to provide competition for Jordi Alba at left-back while Real Madrid duo Dani Carvajal and Nacho will fight it out for a place on the opposite flank. Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and David Silva are likely to be Lopetegui's first-choice midfield trio, with Isco deployed slightly further forward. Atletico Madrid are represented by creative duo Koke and Saul Niguez while Bayern Munich's Thiago Alcantara and Madrid pair Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez provide options off the bench. Most of the 32 nations who will feature at Russia 2018 have named their squads already, with Spain last out the blocks of the big guns following Belgium's announcement earlier on Monday morning . They will be hoping to better their group stage exit in 2014 when defeats to Netherlands and Chile caused the holders to be the first team eliminated from the Brazil finals. Spain's full 23-man squad: Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Club), David de Gea (Manchester United), Pepe Reina (Napoli) Article continues below Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Cesar Azpiliqueta (Chelsea), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Nacho Fernandez (Real Madrid), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal), Alvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) Midfielders: Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Isco (Real Madrid), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid), David Silva (Manchester City) Forwards: Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid), Rodrigo Moreno (Valencia), Lucas Vazquez (Real Madrid).