Spain forward Lamine Yamal will not play in the team's World Cup opener on June 15 against Cape Verde due to a left hamstring injury sustained in April [1, 2, 3, 4]. The 18-year-old tore the hamstring on April 22 while scoring a penalty during Barcelona's match against Celta Vigo and has been ruled out for the remainder of Barcelona's season [1, 2, 3, 4].
Yamal's status for Spain's second Group H game against Saudi Arabia on June 21 is doubtful because of the injury [1, 2, 3, 4]. Spain's third Group H match is set for June 26 against Uruguay in Guadalajara, Mexico [1, 2, 3, 4].
Yamal was a key player as Spain won UEFA Euro 2024 at age 16 and has scored 6 goals in 25 appearances for the senior national team [1, 2, 3, 4]. This season, he netted 16 goals in 28 La Liga matches and 24 goals in 45 games across all competitions for Barcelona [1, 2, 3, 4].
Adding to Spain’s World Cup injury woes, Barcelona teammate Fermin Lopez fractured his right foot during a May 17 match against Real Betis and will miss the World Cup after requiring surgery [1, 2, 3, 4].
Spain enters the tournament ranked No. 2 in FIFA’s latest men’s world rankings [1, 2, 3, 4]. The team will announce its final 26-player World Cup squad on May 25 [1, 2, 3, 4].
