Spain coach Luis de la Fuente confirmed on June 7 that Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Victor Munoz are progressing well in their recoveries and are expected to be available for the World Cup opener against Cape Verde on June 15 in Atlanta [1, 2, 3, 4].
The 18-year-old Yamal has been managing groin problems and a hamstring injury sustained in April, while Williams and Munoz are also recovering from injuries sustained earlier this year [1, 2, 3, 4]. De la Fuente said, "If there are no setbacks in the coming days, we expect them to be available on the 15th... The most important thing is that those timelines are being met and will continue to be met, so they can be with us and available to be selected at some point in the match" [1].
All three remained at Spain’s training base in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to continue rehabilitation measures and did not travel to Mexico for the friendly match against Peru in Puebla on June 8 [1, 2, 3, 4]. De la Fuente explained, "We regret that they are not here with us, but the medical and physical conditioning staff advised them to stay there... All three should be available for the next match... they are progressing well in their recovery and are doing very well" [4].
Spain, winners of the 2024 European Championship, face Peru in the warm-up match on June 8 before flying to Atlanta to start their World Cup campaign [1, 2, 3, 4]. After facing Cape Verde in their opening group game, Spain will play Saudi Arabia in Atlanta and Uruguay in Guadalajara [4].
Spain enters the tournament as one of the leading contenders, with a Goldman Sachs model giving them a 26% chance to win the World Cup, the highest probability among participating teams [1, 2, 3]. Forward Yeremy Pino said the pressure of being favorites is motivating, not a hindrance. "The favourites tag is normal. We've had some very good years and we carry that with a lot of pride. Pressure should not make us play worse. It should make us improve and play better," he said [1].
