The Spanish Padel Federation (FEP) has named its two eight-player squads for the FIP Padel World Cup in Doha, Qatar, which runs from 2 to 7 November. The lists, presented in Madrid on 24 September, are headed by Arturo Coello and Gemma Triay. Martina Calvo and Aimar Goñi are among the fresh faces, while Alejandra Salazar misses out.
The two squads
The men's team, coached by Juanjo Gutiérrez, is Arturo Coello, Ale Galán, Juan Lebrón, Paquito Navarro, Mike Yanguas, Jon Sanz, Coki Nieto and Aimar Goñi.
The women's team, coached by Carolina Navarro, is Gemma Triay, Bea González, Ari Sánchez, Marta Ortega, Claudia Fernández, Paula Josemaría, Andrea Ustero and Martina Calvo.
Both coaches started from provisional lists of 12 and cut four names from each. The federation unveiled the squads at a launch event at the CUPRA City Garage in Madrid. A video narrated by radio commentator Manolo Lama revealed the names, and footballers Ferran Torres and Fabián Ruiz acted as the team's godfathers.
Who missed out
The women's selection caused the most debate. Alejandra Salazar, a fixture of the national team for years, is not going. Padel Addict notes that this rules her out of what would have been her final World Cup with Spain. According to elDiario.es, Navarro called the choice between Salazar and Marta Ortega a difficult one, decided on form over recent months and on the fast court she expects in Doha. Tamara Icardo, Alejandra Alonso and Marina Guinart were the other women cut from the provisional list.
On the men's side, Momo González, Javi Leal, Fran Guerrero and Pol Hernández made the provisional list but not the final eight. Goñi, a 21-year-old from Pamplona and the only debutant in the men's group, took the last place on the backhand side ahead of Momo and Leal, Padel Addict reports.
Lebrón and Galán back together
The biggest tactical storyline concerns Lebrón and Galán. The former world No 1 pair split on tour in March 2024 but were reunited for Spain at the 2024 World Cup final, where they lost the second match to Agustín Tapia and Federico Chingotto. Gutiérrez has already said the pairing will return. "I don't know in which round, but Lebrón and Galán are going to play together," he told VeinteDiez, as reported by Actu Padel.
The format explains why depth matters so much. Every tie is played over three matches with three different pairs, so each coach has to build three pairs from eight players and leave two on the bench.
Defending champions and runners-up
Spain's women have won every world title since 2014: six in a row, the last of them in Doha in 2024, when they beat Argentina in the final. Navarro takes charge at a World Cup for the first time.
The men's record is less kind. Spain won the title in 2021 but have lost the last two finals to Argentina, in 2022 and in Doha in 2024. Argentina are again the main rivals. Their squad is led by Tapia and Chingotto and again includes Leo Augsburger and Tino Libaak, who won the decisive match of the 2024 final.
A new generation in the women's team
The women's team blends experience with the youngest players on the tour. Calvo, 18, and Claudia Fernández, 20, won the London P1 in August and the Germany P2 in Düsseldorf in October. Ustero, 19, won the Paris Major with Ari Sánchez in September, beating Fernández and Calvo in the final. That gives Navarro two young pairs in form to go with the experience of Triay, González and Josemaría.
The squads now have just over two weeks before the opening ties in Doha.
Sources
This article was written by TiebreakNews from the reporting below, checked against official results and rankings.
- Federación Española de Pádel — España ya tiene equipo para conquistar el FIP World Cup 2026
- Padel Addict — ¡España ya tiene convocatoria para el Mundial de Pádel 2026!
- elDiario.es — España presenta su equipo para el Mundial de pádel 2026
- Actu Padel — Lebrón and Galán reunited for Spain at the padel World Cup
- AnalistasPadel — Oficial: esta es la convocatoria con sorpresas de España para el mundial 2026