Seven Barcelona players called up for Spain's U-17 World Cup

Seven Barcelona youth players called up to Spain's U-17 World Cup squad in Qatar (Nov 19–Dec 13); defenders Expósito, Mayans, Kourouma, Pesquer, midfielders Tunkara and Tomás, winger Martínez.

Barcelona's youth academy will be significantly depleted as seven players have been called up to Spain's U-17 World Cup squad. Coach David Cubillo named defenders Raúl Expósito, Sergi Mayans, Baba Kourouma and Jordi Pesquer, midfielders Ebrima Tunkara and Roberto Tomás, and winger Ïu Martínez for the tournament in Qatar running from November 19 to December 13.

The players will report to Madrid on Monday, November 9 to begin preparations. Spain are grouped with Morocco, Fiji and China in Group H as they bid for a first U-17 World Cup title. The squad is primarily drawn from the 2009 age group, as FIFA counts calendar years for youth tournaments.

The call-ups compound Barcelona Atlètic's problems, as Mayans, Pesquer and Tunkara will also miss matches during a crucial period of the season. Additionally, four other Barcelona youth players—goalkeeper Iker Rodríguez, defender Àlex Campos, midfielder Pedro Rodríguez and winger Joni Hernández—have been called to the U-19 squad for an official tournament in Wales (November 11–17).