More than a third of Spain's players at the World Cup are Catalan. Lamine Yamal, Joan Garcia, Pau Cubarsí, Eric Garcia, Dani Olmo, Víctor Muñoz, Marc Cucurella, David Raya and Marc Pubill are the nine footballers from Catalonia who are competing in this summer's major sporting event under the orders of coach Luis de la Fuente. But beyond the Spanish squad, there are more representatives from the region at the World Cup, spread across teams from Europe, Africa, and America.

Espanyol hasn't won in almost three months. Their last victory dates back to December 22, 2025. Athletic Club's groundIn the last match of last year, they only managed four draws; that is, 4 points out of a possible 33. A calamitous run, the worst start to the year in the history of Espanyol, which in theory does not threaten the team's survival – they have an 11-point cushion above the relegation zone with ten matches remaining – but which Manolo González's team wants to break this Saturday at home against Getafe (16th, before the calendar turns up).