Lamine Yamal declared fit to face Cape Verde in Spain's World Cup opener

Lamine Yamal has been declared fit for Spain’s World Cup opener against Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15, with Fabrizio Romano confirming the Barcelona winger is available for selection. The news resolves the central fitness concern hanging over Luis de la Fuente’s squad since the 17-year-old was injured in late April.

Yamal picked up a combination of hamstring strain and groin discomfort on April 22 while playing for Barcelona, ruling him out of the final weeks of the club’s La Liga-winning campaign. De la Fuente included him in Spain’s World Cup squad regardless, repeatedly stating that the plan was to have him available for the opener — provided the medical timeline was respected. Yamal himself later admitted he had been privately hoping the injury was not serious when it first occurred.

Rather than travel with the squad for warm-up friendlies against Iraq and Peru, Yamal remained at Spain’s pre-tournament base at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, working through an individual rehabilitation programme alongside Nico Williams and Víctor Muñoz. That load-management approach has evidently paid off.

De la Fuente has consistently framed Yamal’s early involvement as cameos rather than starts, noting that the medical staff would dictate his minutes rather than match demands. That framing is unlikely to change for the Cape Verde fixture — whether he starts or comes off the bench will be the first real indication of how far along his recovery actually is.

Even in limited minutes, Yamal’s presence alters what Spain can threaten going forward. His directness in one-on-one situations and his capacity to create chances from wide areas are difficult to replicate elsewhere in the squad, and De la Fuente has built much of Spain’s attacking identity around him since the Euros. Arriving at a World Cup as a 17-year-old already carrying those expectations reflects the position he has reached in the game.

Spain face Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15, then Saudi Arabia on June 21 — also in Atlanta — before concluding Group H against Uruguay in Guadalajara on June 26. The medical staff’s priority will be managing Yamal’s minutes carefully across those three group fixtures, with the aim of having him fully available by the time the knockout rounds begin.