Barcelona star inexplicably left out of FIFA Team of the Tournament | OneFootball

Pau Cubarsi was one of the standout performers of the 2026 World Cup, but the FC Barcelona defender has surprisingly been left out of FIFA’s Team of the Tournament.

The 19-year-old played every possible minute as Spain lifted the World Cup, establishing himself as a fundamental part of the tournament’s best defence. Yet FIFA selected Dayot Upamecano and Lisandro Martinez as the two central defenders in its best XI.

Cubarsi overlooked despite extraordinary World Cup

The decision is particularly difficult to understand given Cubarsi’s individual and collective achievements.

The Barcelona centre-back played 750 official minutes, more than any other outfield player for Spain, and helped his country concede just once throughout the entire tournament. He also finished with a 96 per cent passing accuracy and was named the Best Young Player of the World Cup.

Cubarsi’s importance was perhaps best demonstrated in the final against Argentina. With Spain protecting their narrow advantage, the teenager produced a crucial late intervention to prevent Marco Senesi from potentially finding an equaliser.

His consistency was equally impressive. Cubarsi was not simply a young player enjoying a breakthrough tournament. He was one of the pillars of a World Cup-winning side from the opening game until the final whistle.

Barcelona fans have every reason to question the decision

FIFA’s XI includes three members of Spain’s winning team in Marc Cucurella, Pedro Porro and Rodri. Yet Cubarsi’s absence is arguably one of the most surprising omissions from the entire selection.

There were certainly other excellent centre-backs at the tournament, and any best XI will inevitably create debate. However, few defenders combined individual performance, consistency and team success as convincingly as Cubarsi.

From a Barcelona perspective, the omission does little to change what the club already knows.

Cubarsi has gone from La Masia prospect to an elite-level centre-back while still only 19. His World Cup performances simply confirmed that development on the biggest stage possible.

He may not have received a place in FIFA’s final XI, but returning to Barcelona as a world champion and the tournament’s Best Young Player is a much stronger reflection of the extraordinary competition he produced.