Spain are hoping their mix of exciting youthfulness and valuable experience will be the perfect combination to secure another world title following their one and only World Cup triumph back in 2010.

Luis Enrique can be relied upon to send his charges out with the usual possession-based approach that has defined successful Spain sides over many years, though they will need to tighten up a defence that has conceded 13 goals in seven games in the past two World Cup finals.

Former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata will be expected to fire the goals after finishing as La Roja’s top scorer at Euro 2020, with the Barcelona trio of Sergio Busquets, Pedri and Gavi forming a talented midfield.

Which Chelsea players do Spain have?

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta will be involved in his third World Cup finals after being named in Luis Enrique’s 26-man squad and will be hoping for a place in the starting 11 when Spain kick off against Costa Rica in Doha.

It was in the Qatari capital that the defender made his senior debut for La Roja in February 2013, just six months after joining the Blues from Marseille. He has since gone on to collect over 40 caps.

Azpilicueta has been in and out of the Spain squad during qualification for Qatar 2022, his involvement at the European Championships last summer kick-starting a run that has seen him feature in all five qualifiers since then and even captain the side against Georgia. He was a regular at Euro 2020 and scored his first international goal in the last-16 against Croatia.

Marc Cucurella, whose only senior cap was won in June 2021, and Kepa Arrizabalaga, who last played in 2020 and is currently injured, both miss out on the squad.

Who else is in Spain's squad?

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Robert Sanchez (Brighton), David Raya (Brentford)

Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Jose Luis Gaya (Valencia), Hugo Guillamon (Valencia), Aymeric Laporte (Man City)

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Man City), Gavi (Barcelona), Pedri (Barcelona), Carlos Soler (PSG), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid)

Forwards: Pablo Sarabia (PSG), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Yeremy Pino (Villarreal), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig)

Which teams are in Spain's group?

Spain have been drawn in Group E alongside Costa Rica, Japan and Germany, setting up a heavyweight matchday two clash with Die Mannschaft in Al Khor.

It will be the first World Cup meeting between the sides since the 2010 semi-final, which featured Fernando Torres and Pedro, and saw La Roja edge through 1-0 en route to victory over Netherlands in the final.

Costa Rica and Japan, ranked by FIFA at 31st and 24th in the world respectively, will be new World Cup opponents for Spain, who will be looking to reach the last eight for the first time since lifting the trophy 12 years ago.

When are Spain's fixtures?

Spain v Costa Rica, Doha, 23 November, 4pm (UK)

Spain v Germany, Al Khor, 27 November, 7pm (UK)

Japan v Spain, Al Rayyan, 1 December, 7pm (UK)

How did Spain qualify?

Spain finished four points clear of nearest challengers Sweden in their UEFA qualifying group, with the Swedes inflicting on them their only defeat of the campaign back in September 2021. Enrique’s side recovered well from that setback, winning their final four matches with an aggregate score of 8-0.

In the middle of qualifying, they headed to Italy for the UEFA Nations League finals and beat the hosts in Milan with a pair of Ferran Torres goals before world champions France came from behind to triumph 2-1 in the final.

Torres was their top scorer in World Cup qualifying, during which they stayed unbeaten at home and underlined their credentials as contenders in Qatar.

What is Spain's World Cup history?

The 2010 champions will be making their 16th appearance at a World Cup tournament in Qatar and their 12th in a row, during which time they have reached the quarter-finals or beyond on four occasions. However, since winning in South Africa 12 years ago, they have been knocked out in the group stage and the last-16.

After finishing as semi-finalists at Euro 2020 and runners-up at the recent UEFA Nations League finals, Spain will be looking to go one step further this time around and represent one of Europe’s strongest threats at the tournament.