‘Available for the first match’ – Spain boss Luis de la Fuente optimistic about Lamine Yamal fitness for World Cup
La Roja open up against Cape Verde in under a month’s time.
Lamine Yamal of Spain during the international friendly match between Spain and Egypt prior to the FIFA World Cup, at RCD Stadium on March 31, 2026, in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images Spain boss Luis de la Fuente says he hopes Lamine Yamal will be available for the team’s first game of World Cup 2026 after being quizzed on the current injury problems. Yamal has missed end of Barcelona’s season with a hamstring problem and has been joined on the sidelines by Nico Williams who is out with a similar problem.
Spain’s first game of the tournament is against Cape Verde on June 9th and De la Fuente thinks his team should be in good shape by then. “I think we’ll have Lamine, Nico, and Mikel available for the first World Cup match, and if not, we’ll have them for the second or third. It doesn’t cause any major problems,” he told the media.
“The injuries are putting us under pressure. Any injuries that occur now, even minor ones, are difficult to recover from. Nico’s is less severe; we’ll have him back in 3-4 weeks.
” There has been talk that Yamal will be eased back carefully to avoid the risk of a relapse and that he could even sit out the first game altogether. Spain’s other two group games are against Saudi Arabia on June 21st and Uruguay on June 27th.