Lamine Yamal set to miss Spain's World Cup opener, doubt for second group game

Yamal scored 24 goals in 45 Barcelona appearances this season Alex Caparros/Getty Images Share articleBarcelona forward Lamine Yamal is expected to miss the start of Spain’s World Cup campaign as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. Yamal, 18, is set to be sidelined for Spain’s World Cup group stage opener against Cape Verde on June 15, and at this stage is a major doubt for their second match against Saudi Arabia on June 21, according to sources with knowledge of his recovery. Spanish Football Association (RFEF) sources say the association has been in touch with Barcelona and Yamal, with members of its medical staff making regular visits to Barcelona to monitor his progress. The 2025 Ballon d’Or runner up suffered the injury in last month’s La Liga victory over Celta Vigo, which ruled him out of the remainder of the club season with his aim to return to fitness ahead of this summer’s international tournament. Barca said at the time Yamal will “follow a conservative treatment plan” and club officials met with the RFEF on Friday to discuss a rehabilitation programme for his return. Spain’s final World Cup group group is against Uruguay on June 26. Yamal made 45 appearances in all competitions in his third full season with the Barca senior side as they defended the La Liga title, registering 24 goals and 16 assists after struggling with pubalgia in the first half of the season. The teenager has been expected to be one of the stars of this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He has scored six goals in 25 appearances for Spain since making his senior debut as a 16-year-old and played a key role in the country’s 2024 European Championship success. Spain have two friendlies before the start of the World Cup, the first one on June 4 in Coruna, against Iraq. Then they will travel to Puebla, in Mexico, to face Peru on June 8. Spain’s 26-man World Cup squad will be announced on Monday, May 25. Barcelona and the Spanish national team have often appeared to be in conflict over playing minutes given to Yamal this season. In September, Barca coach Hansi Flick suggested Spain needs to taken better care of its players after Yamal took painkillers to play in the international break and returned to club duty with a groin injury, causing him to miss four club games. Flick said Spain’s approach was “not taking care of its players” and added: “Maybe when we talk about taking care of young players, it’s things like that. I’m very sad about this.” The following month, Flick said he did not regret his criticism of the handling of Yamal by Spain, citing his duty to “protect” the 18-year-old. In October, Barca announced the teenager would miss up to three weeks due to a recurrence of a groin injury, hours after he was named in Spain’s squad for that month’s international fixtures. Spain’s head coach Luis de la Fuente defended the national team’s handling of Yamal’s fitness. “Here, we take zero risks,” De la Fuente said. “Whoever comes in, comes in healthy, fit to play. And when they go back home, it is because we have judged there was a risk in staying with us.“ Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms