Lamine Yamal suffered a hamstring injury on April 22, 2026, during a La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Celta Vigo while scoring a penalty [1, 2]. The 18-year-old feared the injury might force him to miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins in mid-June [1, 2]. "Internally I was praying it was nothing, that it was just cramp or something like that, because the World Cup was very close and I knew that a hamstring injury is never a short-term thing," Yamal said [2]. "I was afraid it might be serious and, above all, that even if it wasn’t serious, I could suffer a setback and end up missing the World Cup" [2].
Despite these concerns, Spain's head coach Luis de la Fuente included Yamal in the final World Cup squad and expects him to be available for Spain’s opener against Cape Verde on June 15, 2026 [1, 2]. If Yamal does not play in the first match, he is expected to feature in subsequent group matches on June 21 against Saudi Arabia and June 26 or 27 against Uruguay [1, 2].
Yamal has been training with the Spanish team and his recovery is progressing well [1, 2]. The young attacker expressed strong excitement about the tournament, calling it "the biggest event in football" and saying, "I have dreamed of winning the trophy" [1, 2]. He added, "It’s also true that it helps knowing you’re going to play a World Cup, so mentally it’s like you haven’t played a single game all season, and I’m really eager to make my debut (at the tournament)" [2].
Spain won its only World Cup title in 2010 and currently holds the European Championship after winning in 2024 [1, 2]. Yamal described the upcoming competition: "This moment has finally arrived. Since the end of the Euro, everyone has been looking forward to this day. We will compete as European champions and everyone is full of expectation. We will give everything to fight" [1].
Spain will open their 2026 World Cup campaign on June 15 against Cape Verde, followed by group matches on June 21 versus Saudi Arabia and June 26 or 27 against Uruguay, with Yamal expected to take part in all [1, 2].
