- Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has confirmed that Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is fit and available for selection.
- Yamal has been sidelined with a groin injury since April but has worked hard on his recovery and could feature for a few minutes on Monday evening.
- Spain, the 2010 World Cup champions, will kick off their campaign against Cape Verde from 7pm EAT at Atlanta Stadium.
Lamine Yamal is in perfect condition to feature for a few minutes, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has confirmed ahead of Spain’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Cape Verde on Monday evening from 7pm EAT at Atlanta Stadium.
The Barcelona sensation suffered a serious groin injury towards the end of the 2025-26 campaign in April that threatened to derail his tournament debut, but he has worked hard to bounce back quicker than expected.
Yamal, 18, has returned to full training and is available for selection alongside Nico Williams and Victor Munoz.
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Lamine Yamal fit to feature for Spain in World Cup opener
De la Fuente stressed that all three players are in good shape but will be carefully managed in Spain’s opening Group H clash.
“The good news is that Lamine is very fit,” the Spain boss said. “The doctors say Lamine can play tomorrow without any issues. Not to complete 90 minutes, but to get some minutes. They are all available, but they won’t start the match.”
He added that any involvement will depend on how the contest unfolds. “We’ll have to wait and see how the match progresses and then decide how they can contribute. It’s about the game situation.”
READ MORE: Spain vs Cape Verde World Cup prediction: Match preview, team news, key stats & h2h
Spain arrive at the tournament as one of the favorites, having lifted the European Championship and previously won the World Cup in 2010, but De la Fuente warned against underestimating Cape Verde in their first-ever appearance on the global stage.
“They are a very well-structured team, physically strong, very fast, and they eliminated Cameroon. People will see tomorrow what they can do.”
He suggested Spain will need to be at their best to secure a result, even with their status as frontrunners.
“They could be one of the surprise packages in this World Cup,” he added.
La Roja bring a 10-game unbeaten streak into this fixture, though they have only won twice in their last five outings drawing three times.
Their most recent match was a 3-1 victory against Peru last Tuesday.
They face a Cape Verde side chasing a fourth straight win. They followed up triumphs against Finland and Serbia with a 3-0 thrashing of Bermuda in preparation for the finals.
This will be the first ever meeting between these two nations.
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