Spain Women's World Cup 2023 squad: most recent call ups

Jorge Vilda called up 23 players for two recent friendlies against Norway and China

The Spain Women's World Cup 2023 squad might be the most unclear of all the countries heading to Australia and New Zealand in July. The team were rocked by a protest from 15 players which began back in September last year.

The players signed an open letter complaining about manager Jorge Vilda and the conditions in the national team. This came after captain Irene Paredes had held private conversations with the federation about Vilda.

The vast majority of the players who said they would refuse to play came from Barcelona or abroad. Vilda and the Spanish federation have responded by doubling down.

There has more recently been a sense of detente. Both Jennifer Hermoso and Irene Paredes returned to the most recent squad. Neither had originally signed the letter but both were considered closely aligned with those who had.

Whether any of the original signatories will return remains to be seen. Aitana Bonmati has arguably been the best player in the world this season whilst Patri Guijarro, Mapi Leon and Ona Batlle are all signatories who continue to impress at the very highest level.

Meanwhile all eyes remain on Alexia Putellas. The two-time Ballon D'Or winner has somewhat stayed out of this situation after she sustained an ACL injury on the eve of the Euros. However, she has recently returned to the pitch for Barcelona and will surely be in line for a World Cup call up, despite her associations with the protesting players.

The question will be whether Vilda drops the players who have made his squad in the absence of 'Las 15'. Barcelona's young winger Salma Paralluelo impressed in a recent friendly against Norway where Spain won 4-2. Equally Levante's Alba Redondo currently leads the race for the Pichichi (Golden Boot) in Liga F. She has scored six of her total 11 goals for Spain since the start of this season.

With squad selection remaining controversial, the pressure on Vilda will be high heading into the World Cup. Spain are yet to progress beyond the Round of 16 in the competition despite having one of the most technically talented player pools in the world. But Vilda currently seems untouchable.

Spain are in World Cup Group C with Costa Rica, Zambia and Japan, their first World Cup fixture is against Costa Rica on July 21 and below is their most recent 23-player team, ahead of announcing their final World Cup squad by July 9.

Jorge Vilda has been a controversial figure within Spain. His entire managerial career has been based within the Spanish women's set up whilst his family have long held important roles in the Spanish federation. Having worked up through the youth age groups to the senior role, there has been significant concern about Vilda's ability to manage at this level. However, the RFEF (Spanish federation) have relentlessly backed him.

Spain are scheduled to have two friendlies prior to the World Cup but their opponents are yet to be announced. They will then kick off their tournament against Costa Rica on 21st July. With the Spanish league set to finish on the weekend of May 20th/21st and Barcelona due to play the Champions League final on June 3rd, the squad looks set to be announced some time around then.

Jorge Vilda will be able to take 23 players with him to Australia and New Zealand. This is partially why the future of Las 15 is so crucial. If Vilda adds all 15 of those players back into his squad, he will be jettisoning most of those who have played for him this season. How he chooses to prioritise it will be one of the key things to keep an eye on ahead of the tournament.

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Jessy Parker Humphreys is a freelance women's football writer. A Chelsea fan, Jessy has been following the women's game since being taken to the 2003/04 FA Cup final at Loftus Road and seeing Arsenal thrash Jessy's local side Charlton. Fortunately, Arsenal don't win quite as much as they used to – although Jessy hopes Charlton will also be back at the top of the women's game one day.

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