Yamal Included in Spain Squad Despite Hamstring Doubt for World Cup

Yamal Included in Spain Squad Despite Hamstring Doubt for World Cup

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has been named in Spain’s 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite a hamstring injury sustained in late April that has kept him sidelined since, casting uncertainty over how much of the tournament he will be fit to influence. Barcelona confirmed the injury following tests and said Yamal would follow a conservative treatment plan, missing the remainder of the La Liga season but targeting availability for the tournament. Head coach Hansi Flick echoed that assessment.

The hamstring problem is the second significant injury setback of Yamal’s season, after a spell out with pubalgia – a chronic groin condition – ruled him out of five matches earlier in the campaign. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has acknowledged the uncertainty around Yamal’s readiness, telling a press conference he expects the winger to be available for the first, second, or third group match, and adding that a player capable of contributing 20 effective minutes off the bench can still be decisive in knockout football. Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo reported that Barcelona and Spanish federation medical staff have agreed Yamal should not be risked in Spain’s first two group games.

Spain open their Group H campaign against Cape Verde on June 15, before meeting Saudi Arabia and then Uruguay on June 27. De la Fuente has cover options available: Yeremy Pino of Crystal Palace can operate on the right flank, while Alex Baena of Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabal offer positional flexibility. Left winger Nico Williams is also returning from his own hamstring problem. Yamal shared footage of himself training with the ball at Barcelona’s facility in late May, a development that will have provided encouragement to the Spain camp.

Spain will need clarity on Yamal’s condition before the knockout rounds begin, where the depth afforded by the group stage gives way to single-elimination pressure. Yamal, who turns 19 six days before the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was prominent for Spain at Euro 2024 and his availability in the latter stages of the tournament will be a central factor in assessing the defending European champions’ title prospects.