Spain unveils its 24-player preliminary squad for the 2026 Qatar World Cup
Spain's federation named 12 men and 12 women on September 16 for the World Championships in Doha (November 2-7). Selectors Juanjo Gutiérrez and Carolina Navarro will trim the list to 16 at an event in Madrid on September 24, with notable absences already making headlines.
Redacción PalaComparer · · 4 min read
On September 16, the Spanish Padel Federation (FEP) released its preliminary squad of 24 players — twelve men and twelve women — for the 2026 World Championships, which will be held in Doha, Qatar, from November 2 to 7. Head coaches Juanjo Gutiérrez (men) and Carolina Navarro (women) will cut the list down to 16 — eight per category — at a special event on Thursday, September 24 at 1:00 PM CET at the CUPRA City Garage in Madrid, streamed live on the FEP's official YouTube channel.
Spain arrives with the usual weight of expectation: the women's team defends the title it won in Doha 2024, while the men's side will try to reclaim the crown it lost to Argentina in that same final two years ago.
The twelve men in contention
Gutiérrez's shortlist features virtually all of the elite: Arturo Coello, Ale Galán, Juan Lebrón, Paquito Navarro, Mike Yanguas, Coki Nieto, Jon Sanz, Aimar Goñi, Javi Leal, Fran Guerrero, Momo González and Pol Hernández. Only four of them will be left out.
The boldest picks are Aimar Goñi — the young player who has improved the most in recent months — and Pol Hernández, both selected ahead of names with better world rankings. Doha will also be a test for the pairings that have been reshuffled on the pro tour.
The twelve women in contention
Carolina Navarro, freshly installed as head coach, faces the sweetest of problems: Gemma Triay, Ari Sánchez, Paula Josemaría, Bea González, Claudia Fernández, Andrea Ustero, Martina Calvo, Marta Ortega, Tamara Icardo, Alejandra Salazar, Marina Guinart and Alejandra Alonso. Seven of the twelve sit inside the world top 10.
Two names stand out: Andrea Ustero, who just won her first Major in Paris alongside Ari Sánchez, and Alejandra Salazar, who after her farewell from the pro tour in Madrid is included in the preliminary list and could close her career with one last run for the national team.
The absences making headlines
Spain's depth turns any squad into a headache. Eduardo Alonso (world No. 18), Javi Garrido (No. 20) and Álex Ruiz (No. 21, silver medallist at the 2024 World Championships) are left out of the men's twelve: Garrido's inconsistent form and Álex Ruiz's return from the glass-pane scare in San Luis are the most debated cases. On the women's side, Jess Castello — who played the 2024 World Cup — Carmen Goenaga, Bea Caldera, Victoria Iglesias and Nuria Rodríguez are also missing from the preliminary squad.
A World Cup in the middle of the decisive stretch
The World Championships land at the hottest point of the season: Premier Padel enters its final run with the Kuwait Major in October and the Mexico Major in November, ahead of the Premier Padel Finals in Barcelona in December. Doha sits right in the middle of that fight for points, titles and rankings — and with the women's team defending its crown and the men's side chasing revenge against Argentina, the World Cup promises to be one of the biggest chapters of the year. Madrid, meanwhile, is enjoying one of its biggest padel weeks: the FIP World Cup Qualifiers Europe run in the Spanish capital from September 22 to 26, in parallel to the countdown to the final list.
September 24 will settle the first big question on Spain's road to Doha. After that, the only thing left to find out is whether Spain can bring the world title back from Qatar.