Lamine Yamal in ‘perfect condition’ but unlikely to play full match in Spain’s World Cup opener, says De la Fuente

The Spain national team will make its 2026 World Cup debut against Cape Verde on Monday, launching the tournament run for one of the top-tier title contenders. In a massive piece of good news, head coach Luis de la Fuente revealed that superstar Lamine Yamal is in “perfect condition” for the match, though he is unlikely to play the full 90 minutes.

De la Fuente spoke at Sunday’s pre-match press conference, and when asked about the young star’s status, he delivered the reassuring update: “The good news is that Lamine is in perfect condition. 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 Muñoz. They’re all available, although some won’t play the entire game.“

Back in late April, Yamal suffered a severe hamstring injury that sidelined him for Barcelona’s final six La Liga games of the season, as well as Spain’s two pre-World Cup friendlies. But after a cautious recovery process, Yamal, alongside Williams and Muñoz, participated fully in Sunday’s team training session.

De la Fuente then shared more details regarding Yamal’s potential workload on Monday. “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,” he added.

Reports from Diario Sport claim the plan is for Yamal to gradually increase his minutes as he builds up match fitness. The projected roadmap would see Yamal play 15 to 20 minutes in the opener against Cape Verde, log at least 30 minutes against Saudi Arabia in the second match, and potentially enter the starting lineup for the final group-stage clash against Uruguay.

Cape Verde is the most important game of the World Cup, says De la Fuente

Sitting at No. 67 in the latest FIFA world rankings, Cape Verde is the lowest-ranked team in Group H, trailing even No. 60 Saudi Arabia. Still, De la Fuente insists Spain cannot afford to buy into their own hype and must push for the victory, labeling the opener as the most critical match of their entire World Cup campaign.

When asked for his thoughts on Spain’s group, the head coach emphasized the immense weight of the opening match: “It is a competition with a lot of parity, with results that nobody would have bet on. The immediate challenge is the most important one. The match against Cape Verde is the most important of the World Cup, that is how we all view it. The level of demand is at its maximum. If anyone thinks that Cape Verde will be easy, they are mistaken.“