Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, both sidelined with hamstring injuries during the club season, are expected to be fit for Spain’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener on June 15 in Atlanta. Coach Luis de la Fuente confirmed on June 3 that while the players would miss warmup friendlies, they likely will be ready to feature against Cape Verde in the tournament’s Group H match [1, 2].
Yamal suffered his injury on April 22 when scoring a penalty for Barcelona in a La Liga game against Celta Vigo. The forward recalled, “I was praying inside for it not to be serious, for it to be a cramp or something like that, because I knew the World Cup was very close” [3, 2]. Since then, Yamal has made steady progress during Spain’s pre-World Cup camp and is considered likely to be available for the opener [1, 3, 2].
De la Fuente noted that readiness does not guarantee playing time. “If everything continues as it has been so far, he could be ready on June 15, but that doesn’t guarantee that he will play,” he said. “Maybe a few minutes, maybe just practice so he can improve his condition for the second match. We will have to evaluate” [1, 2].
Nico Williams also missed the final club fixtures due to a hamstring injury but is expected to recover in time for the tournament. Other injured players, including Víctor Muñoz, will miss pre-tournament matches but aim to be fit for competitive games [1, 2].
However, Fermin Lopez will not join the World Cup squad after fracturing a metatarsal bone, with expected recovery around three months [3].
Spain’s Group H schedule has the team facing Cape Verde on June 15 and Saudi Arabia on June 21 in Atlanta, followed by a match against Uruguay on June 27 in Guadalajara, Mexico [1, 2]. The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11 across Canada, Mexico, and the United States [1, 2].
Luis de la Fuente said the squad is well coordinated with clubs on recovery programs and stressed, “the players are improving every day” as Spain prepares to compete among the tournament favorites [1, 2].
