Will Lamine Yamal play tonight for Spain vs Cape Verde in FIFA World Cup 2026?
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Lamine Yamal missed all of Spain’s warm-up games.
Spain have been handed a major boost ahead of their opening FIFA World Cup 2026 game against Cape Verde.
Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, has stated that Lamine Yamal is “in perfect condition.” However, he added that the star forward will start on the bench in his country’s World Cup 2026 opener against Cape Verde.
FC Barcelona winger Yamal, one of the tournament’s most prominent players, has been working hard to recover from an injury sustained with his club on April 22.
Also read: Preview: Spain vs Cape Verde prediction, odds, where to watch, time | FIFA World Cup 2026
Spain’s head coach issues Lamine Yamal injury update
De la Fuente has remained optimistic about Yamal’s chances of appearing in Spain’s first World Cup 2026 game in Group H. This comes despite the player missing his country’s most recent warm-up friendly in Mexico last week.
“Lamine Yamal is in perfect condition after recovering from injury. Everything says that Lamine Yamal is ready to play tomorrow,” the La Roja coach said.
“Maybe not ready to play 90 minutes, but he can participate in the game.
“Lamine Yamal is ready to play a few minutes and our medical team (made that) decision. If it was a question (if he was going to play), he wouldn’t even be on the bench.”
Spain rank among the pre-tournament favourites, thanks in part to the participation of Yamal. He helped Spain win the title at Euro 2024, a tournament in which he turned 17.
Despite his age, Yamal is regarded as one of the top players in the world, finishing second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or vote. La Roja will finish group play with matches against Saudi Arabia on June 21 and Uruguay on June 26.
Which injury did Lamine Yamal suffer?
He was nursing a hamstring injury.
Will he play against Cape Verde?
Yes, but won’t play the full game.
When is Spain’s game against Cape Verde?
Tonight at 9:30 pm IST.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.