Spain Unveils Squad in Ceuta Amid Migration Crisis

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente announced the Nations League squad on Friday, 18 September 2026, from Ceuta. He recorded a video with local residents and said, "This is Ceuta, this is Spain." More than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco in late July, with more than 100 deaths and a few thousand remaining in the city of just over 80,000. Spain kept most of its World Cup squad. Josep Martínez replaces Joan García (minor knee issue), Dean Huijsen replaces Marcos Llorente (retired from international football), Fermín López replaces Gavi, and Roberto Fernández gets a first call-up in place of Borja Iglesias. Players will wear two stars on their shirts for the first time. Spain opens against England at Wembley on September 26, hosts Croatia on September 29 and the Czech Republic on October 3, then travels to Croatia on October 6. Contested: No contested claims found. A wire summary notes debate over whether migrants who died should receive equal recognition; the left-rated articles provided do not develop that point. Left-rated outlets present the announcement as a show of support for Ceuta amid the migration crisis. Al Jazeera also reported that a Real Madrid supporters' group demanded a public apology from Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Ibrahima Konaté for partially rolling up tribute T-shirts referencing Ceuta before a 3-2 win at Elche. No center-rated or right-rated coverage is in the record.