Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Athletic’s Nico Williams are expected to overcome their injuries in time for the match against Cape Verde.
Published June 3, 2026
Coach Luis de la Fuente said forwards Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are fit for Spain’s World Cup opener.
Yamal and Williams missed the final part of the club season with hamstring injuries, but de la Fuente included them in his World Cup squad anyway, telling reporters last month that he expected both players to be suitable for the global spotlight.
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European champions Spain will open Group H on June 15th against Cape Verde in Atlanta.
“We are working perfectly with the club, giving them a continuation of the program that was established a while ago, and the fact is that the players are improving every day,” de la Fuente said before Thursday’s friendly against Iraq.
He said the injured players were “progressing as expected” but would not feature in La Coruña’s game against Iraq.
Asked specifically about teenage star Yamal, coach de la Fuente added: “If things go as planned, he might be ready on June 15, but that’s no guarantee he’ll play.”
Spain will be one of the favorites to win the World Cup, which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
But de la Fuente insisted: “This tournament will be historic because it is a World Cup where most teams have a realistic prospect of winning.”
After facing Cape Verde, Spain will take on Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on June 21 and conclude the group stage campaign against Uruguay in Guadalajara on June 27.
The FIFA World Cup begins on June 11th. Check out Al Jazeera’s dedicated 2026 World Cup page for all the latest news, fixtures and live text commentary, and stay up to date with group standings, real-time results and schedules.
