Spain are world champions for the second time in their history, and eight Barcelona players were part of the squad that beat Argentina in the final. The victory came at a cost for the club, though, with key injuries threatening to disrupt the start of the league season.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports, Barcelona had 16 players called up by their respective national teams for the tournament, and the outcomes varied sharply from player to player.
The clearest winners were Spain's contingent. Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal all earned gold medals. Ferran scored the winning goal in the final, a result that figures to give his confidence a significant lift heading into the club season. Cubarsi was awarded Young Player of the Tournament. All eight are reported to be fit and healthy.
The injury picture elsewhere is more concerning. Frenkie de Jong played the entire tournament for the Netherlands with a knee problem. That information has only recently come to light, and Barcelona's medical staff are now assessing the situation to determine the best course of action. The Netherlands were knocked out in the Round of 32 on penalties by Morocco, a result that reflected a difficult overall showing for a squad that was expected to go much deeper. If de Jong misses the start of the league season, as now seems likely, Barcelona will begin the year without one of their most important players.
Raphinha's tournament ended almost before it began. The winger, who had dealt with injuries throughout a stop-start 2025-26 campaign, played 90 minutes against Morocco before a hamstring problem forced him to the sideline. He played just 39 minutes against Haiti and was done. Barcelona will need to manage his return carefully.
Ronald Araujo did not play a single minute of Uruguay's campaign due to injury sustained before the tournament started. It was the second consecutive World Cup where injury prevented him from appearing. Uruguay itself had a difficult run, failing to advance past the group stage. A 2-2 draw with Cape Verde stood as one of the more surprising results of the group stage.
Anthony Gordon, the winger Barcelona signed in part to provide competition on the left and cover for Raphinha, gave supporters a preview of what he can offer. He worked hard in every game England played, though England were ultimately eliminated and left disappointed.
The central tension for Barcelona now is timing. The players who won with Spain are healthy but will need rest after five weeks of tournament football. The players who struggled with injuries will need careful handling. The season begins with the club waiting to see how quickly de Jong and Raphinha can return.