The next FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will be held in Qatar between November 19 and December 13, has brought to the attention of the RFEF the call for Barcelona players who could participate. The news will spread in the coming days and will have a direct impact on both Barça Atlètic and Juvenil A, since several of their talents have been mentioned by coach David Cubillo.
Among the eight footballers who appear on the list of candidates are Raúl Expósito, Baba Kourouma, Jordi Pesquer, Michal Zuk, Roberto Tomás and Íñigo Martínez, all with cards in the Juvenil A, except for the case of Pesquer, who has also been called up for the reserve team. The big name that does not appear in the call is Ebrima Tunkara, who was named MVP of the U-17 European Championship last summer. Tunkara had suffered an injury, but is now fully fit, while Sergi Mayans could have minutes with Barça Atlètic next weekend. The rest of the players called up are not on the team's list, which leaves the club without several key pieces in the upcoming Youth League matches.
Barça Atlètic faces a complicated situation, since the absence of these players will directly affect their Youth League campaign. The team, under the direction of Pol Planas, has accumulated four points out of a possible nine to date. The next match, against Aston Villa, is crucial to advance to the next phase. The cutoff in the league phase last year was seven points, and Barça would need a victory over the English to secure their position. In addition, the club will miss the trip to Masazir, where it would face Sabah, and will also be deprived of those selected for the last group stage match against Manchester City, which will be held just before the World Cup quarterfinals.
Spain, which is in Group H along with China, Fiji and Morocco, is one of the favorites to win the tournament. If they advance from the group stage, they will advance to the round of 36. Barcelona will not be able to count on the players called up for the match against Manchester City, which could influence their performance in the final phase of the Youth League. Spain's last participation in the U-17 World Cup was in 2023, when they reached the quarterfinals and were eliminated by Germany. In that tournament, the team had players such as Héctor Fort, Pau Cubarsí, Andrés Cuenca, Quim Junyent, Pau Prim, Marc Bernal and Marc Guiu.
In summary, the call for the U-17 World Cup creates uncertainty for Barcelona, which will have to reorganize its squad in the Youth League and in the group stage matches. The RFEF will officially announce the list shortly, and the club will have to adapt to the absence of several of its young talents in the upcoming decisive matches.