Spain will have Lamine Yamal available for the opening World Cup match against Cape Verde on Monday, with Luis de la Fuente confirming the winger is fit
to feature. Medical staff still plan to control playing time, but the Barcelona player has cleared recovery targets set after the hamstring problem.
Spain arrive at this World Cup as European champions and as favourites in Opta's supercomputer projections, yet the historical record remains modest. Since lifting the trophy in 2010, Spain have reached the semi-finals only once in their last 14 tournament appearances.
The recent World Cup record underlines the size of the task. Spain have managed just one win in their last six matches at the tournament, with four draws and one defeat. That single victory was the 7-0 group-stage result against Costa Rica at Qatar 2022.
Spain are attempting to become only the fourth nation to hold the European Championship and World Cup titles at the same time. The current squad achieved continental success in Germany two years ago, and the management group now expects that experience to support another deep run.
The importance of Lamine Yamal to that campaign explains the attention on fitness updates. The winger sustained a hamstring injury in April and missed the closing weeks of Barcelona's 2025-26 season. Since then, training workloads have been carefully increased to avoid any recurrence before the tournament.
De la Fuente reported that key attacking players now appear ready. "The good news is that Lamine is in perfect condition, De la Fuente told reporters during his pre-match press conference. He's arrived at this point in the state in which we wanted him to be. He's fine, just like Nico [Williams] and Victor [Munoz]. They're all available, although some won't play the entire game. "
Lamine est en perfectas condiciones, entrenando muy bien como el resto de los compaeros que han tenido algn inconveniente. Os adelanto que todos los jugadores estn disponibles para el debut. Luis de la Fuente, seleccionador.#VamosEspaa | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/0WSlNJ6orESeleccin Espaola Masculina de Ftbol (@SEFutbol) June 14, 2026
The head coach detailed the medical guidance on both attackers. "The doctors say Lamine can play tomorrow without any issues. Not to play 90 minutes, but to play some minutes, yes.The process [with Williams] is similar. They've been working together a lot of days, a lot of hours, and with the relationship they have, they've been happy. They could play, if we think the game demands it. "
Spain have exited via penalty shoot-outs in the last two World Cups, falling in the last 16 each time. That followed a group-stage elimination in 2014, which came four years after the 2010 triumph in South Africa that remains the country's only World Cup title.
| World Cup edition | Stage reached |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Winners |
| 2014 | Group stage |
| 2018 | Last 16 (penalties) |
| 2022 | Last 16 (penalties) |
Attention around the Spain World Cup camp also involves Marc Cucurella, with reports linking the defender with a move from Chelsea to Real Madrid. De la Fuente was asked whether those discussions might affect focus but expressed trust in the left-back's mentality and consistency.
The national coach repeated support for Cucurella while avoiding club matters. "If it's good news for Cucu, or someone else, we'll celebrate it, De la Fuente added. I don't talk about clubs, but if you ask me about Cucurella for the national team, he's convincing. He's been with us since he was 17. I know his performance, the quality and potential he has. He might be one of the best left-backs in the world, without doubt. "
With Cape Verde first on the schedule, Spain enter the World Cup balancing optimism with awareness of recent shortcomings. The presence of Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Marc Cucurella at full availability offers options, while the team's historical record underlines the challenge of matching the 2010 success.
