Will Lamine Yamal play in Spain's World Cup opener against Cape Verde?

Lamine Yamal's participation in the early stages of the World Cup has been a major doubt since the Spain star suffered a hamstring injury in April.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or runner-up suffered the setback during Barcelona's 1-0 La Liga victory over Celta Vigo on 22nd April and Yamal was ruled out for the remainder of the domestic campaign as Hansi Flick's side retained their league title.

Whilst the news at the time was a blow for the Blaugrana, alarm bells were ringing at the headquarters of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) as the prospect of their star winger missing a portion of the upcoming World Cup lingered.

Barcelona insisted Yamal would follow a "conservative treatment plan" and medical officials at the RFEF were in regular communication with the club to monitor his progression.

The two entities had previously been in conflict concerning Yamal's management this season, with Flick accusing Spain of “not taking care of its players” after the 18-year-old required painkillers to play during the September international break before returning to Barcelona with a groin issue.

It was predicted Yamal's latest setback would consign him to two months on the sidelines, with the expectation he would miss Spain's first World Cup group game and be a doubt for their second fixture against Saudi Arabia on 21st June.

Yamal was absent from Spain's travelling squad for their final warm-up match against Peru in Puebla as he remains at La Roja's base camp in Chattanooga to focus on his rehabilitation.

However, despite his omission, Luis de la Fuente was able to issue a positive update on Yamal's availability ahead of their meeting with Cape Verde.

Will Lamine Yamal play against Cape Verde?

La Roja head coach Luis de la Fuente confirmed Yamal is on track to be available for their opening match of the World Cup against Cape Verde on Monday 15th June.

The update on Yamal coincided with encouraging news on the availability of Nico Williams and Victor Munoz, who are also nearing the end of their respective rehabilitations and hope to play a part in Spain's first game of the tournament.

“If there are no setbacks in the coming days, we expect them to be available on the 15th,” De la Fuente said in a press conference.

“I think all three will be in a position to play.”