Spain has finalized its roster. After a month of preparation and with the 'We're Dreaming Again' tour complete, head coach Miguel Méndez has announced the final roster for the World Cup taking place in Germany from September 4-13.
The Twelve Selected
The roster consists of Elena Buenavida, Raquel Carrera, Maite Cazorla, María Conde, Awa Fam, Alicia Flórez, Paula Ginzo, Megan DiLeo, Iyana Martín, Mariona Ortiz, Helena Pueyo, and Alba Torrens.
Eight of them were part of the team that finished as European runners-up last summer, and that core is joined by María Conde, Maite Cazorla, Megan DiLeo, and Alicia Flórez, the latter making her first official appearance with the senior team. Left out in the final cuts were Andrea Vilaró, Irati Etxarri, María Araújo, Aina Ayuso, Lola Pendande, Nerea Hermosa, and Marta García.
Torrens, the Only One Who Knows What This Is
The stat that best defines this team is the captain. Alba Torrens is the only player on the roster who has competed in a World Cup, and she has done so three times with three medals to show for it. The remaining eleven are making their World Cup debut.
Spain, in fact, is returning to a World Cup eight years later, and it does so pursuing its fourth medal in the competition's history. The preparation record inspires optimism: five victories in matches against Germany, Nigeria, Belgium, Mali, and China.
Schedule and Format
Spain's debut comes Friday against the hosts. The three group-stage matches can be followed on Teledeporte and Movistar Plus.
- Spain vs. Germany: Friday, September 4, 5:45 p.m.
- Spain vs. Mali: Saturday, September 5, 11:30 a.m.
- Spain vs. Japan: Monday, September 7, 5:50 p.m.
The competition format divides the sixteen teams into four groups of four, with only the group winner advancing directly to the quarterfinals. Second and third-place finishers face off on September 8-9 in a round-of-16 that completes the bracket. Quarterfinals are on the 10th, semifinals on the 12th, and the bronze-medal game and final on the 13th.
Spain's possible matchups are as follows. If they finish first in their group, they will face the winner of the second-place team from Group C versus the third-place team from Group D. If they finish second, they will play the third-place team from Group B—which includes France, Nigeria, Hungary, and South Korea—in the round-of-16, and if they advance, the first-place team from Group C (Belgium, Australia, Turkey, and Puerto Rico). If they finish third, their round-of-16 opponent would be the second-place team from Group B, and a potential quarterfinal opponent would be the first-place team from Group D, which features the United States, China, Italy, and the Czech Republic.
In other words: the higher Spain finishes in their group, the later they could face the United States.