Lamine Yamal Faces Capo Verde Opener After Left Hamstring Injury

Lamine Yamal’s cap o verde opener is now in doubt after the Spain and Barcelona winger suffered a left hamstring injury at the end of Barcelona’s season. Barcelona said he would miss the rest of the season, and Spain coach Luis de la Fuente still named him in the 26-man World Cup squad.

Spain’s 26-man squad

The club’s statement said: “Gli esami hanno confermato che Lamine Yamal ha subito un infortunio al tendine del ginocchio sinistro. Seguirà un trattamento conservativo, salterà il resto della stagione ma dovrebbe essere disponibile per i Mondiali”. Yamal has not played since scoring the decisive penalty against Celta Vigo on 22 April and going down injured seconds later.

Barcelona said Yamal should be available for the World Cup, but reports said Barcelona and Spain federation doctors agreed he should not play in Spain’s first two matches. That would put the 15 June 2026 opener against Cape Verde at risk, with another report saying Yamal might remain out until Spain’s third group match against Uruguay on 27 June.

Barcelona and Spain doctors

The injury comes after a season in which Yamal had already missed five matches because of pubalgia, including matches in November after the issue worsened during a Spain camp in September. The left hamstring problem arrived at the end of Barcelona’s season, adding another fitness concern around a player whose 2026 World Cup was expected to be a key step in his rise.

For Spain, the immediate issue is practical: de la Fuente has picked Yamal, but the medical advice reported around the player points toward a cautious start rather than an early return. If the doctors’ view holds, Spain could begin its World Cup campaign against Cape Verde without one of its most prominent attackers and wait until late June for a possible comeback against Uruguay.