Lamine Yamal is reported to be unlikely to feature for Spain in their first two World Cup group fixtures this summer as he continues recovery from a hamstring injury. Spain’s squad planning also includes the omission of Alvaro Morata and Dani Carvajal from Lui
Lamine Yamal’s World Cup campaign is starting to look like a race against time after a hamstring injury left him facing a spell on the sidelines for Spain’s opening group matches.
The Barcelona forward. 18. is currently battling to be fit for the tournament after sustaining a hamstring problem in his left leg last month.. The injury came while he was scoring a penalty during the LaLiga champions’ 1-0 win over Celta Vigo at the back end of April.. It is now believed Yamal will miss Spain’s first group game on 15 June against Cape Verde. and also their clash with Saudi Arabia six days later.
Sources close to The Athletic say it is unlikely Yamal will be seen in action at the World Cup until Luis de la Fuente’s European champions face Uruguay on 26 June.. For Spain. that timing matters: Yamal has been central to their World Cup hopes. playing a crucial role during their Euro 2024 triumph. but the hamstring setback has left officials sweating over whether he can make a significant impact in time.
Barcelona and the Spanish Football Association are understood to be in regular contact, with the national governing body keen to keep tabs on his progress as it hopes he will be fit enough to play a part in Spain’s bid to become world champions for the second time.
Yamal has already spent the final run of Barcelona’s games watching from the sideline after suffering a hamstring tear. including their 2-0 El Clásico victory that secured the Spanish top-flight title over rivals Real Madrid.. The expected recovery window for muscle tear injuries can vary: for a grade one tear. just days can pass before a player can return; grade two typically requires around three weeks; and grade three can take three months or more to come back from.
Whether his recovery broadly follows the typical timelines, Yamal may still miss the opening two matches but is still expected to make the Spain squad headed to the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
There is, though, a second disruption to Spain’s World Cup build-up beyond Yamal’s injury.. Two players not set for that North America trip are former captain and vice-captain Alvaro Morata and Dani Carvajal. who have been omitted from De la Fuente’s provisional 55-man squad.. Morata. 33. was skipper as Spain won the European Championship in 2024. only missing the final against England through an injury he had picked up after the semi-final win over France.
Two years on, Morata—on loan at Serie A side Como 1907 from AC Milan—is described by Spanish media outlet Diario AS as seeing those hopes damaged. Neither Morata, Carvajal, nor fellow former vice-captain Jesus Navas made the list, which will be cut down to 26 players ahead of the summer.
All three have not featured for the national team since September.. Morata has managed only 17 minutes off the bench against Turkey during this season’s first international break. while Carvajal’s absence is described as likely linked to another injury-riddled campaign.. The veteran full-back has been struggling with a fractured toe. and De la Fuente recently stated that the Madrid man ‘needs time to show’ his fitness levels before a decision on selection.. It seems he has not recovered in time.
The pattern emerging from the squad picture is that De la Fuente is having to weigh fitness and recent involvement heavily at the same moment injuries and form are filtering players out—Yamal’s hamstring leaves a likely gap at the start of the tournament. while Morata and Carvajal’s omissions reflect the fact that none of the trio have played for Spain since September and Carvajal’s fitness situation was still under assessment.
For Spain, the next dates now carry added pressure.. If Yamal’s projected return holds. his World Cup involvement would be delayed until the side take on Uruguay on 26 June. after missing the Cape Verde match on 15 June and the Saudi Arabia game six days later.. Alongside that. Spain will now proceed with a provisional 55-man group from which it must eventually settle on 26 players. with Morata and Carvajal among those already out of the provisional list.
Lamine Yamal Spain World Cup hamstring injury Luis de la Fuente Cape Verde Saudi Arabia Uruguay Alvaro Morata Dani Carvajal provisional 55-man squad