Yamal and Williams fit for World Cup opener: Spain coach De la Fuente

Strikers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams should be fit for the opening match of Spain’s 2026 FIFA World Cup, coach Luis de la Fuente said on Wednesday.

Yamal and Williams both missed the end of the club season due to hamstring injuries, but De la Fuente still included them in his World Cup squad and told reporters last month that he expected both to be fit for the global showpiece.

European champions Spain start their Group H campaign on June 15 against Cape Verde in Atlanta.

«We are perfectly coordinated with the clubs, we are giving them the continuation of a program established some time ago and the truth is that the players are improving every day,» De la Fuente said ahead of Thursday’s friendly against Iraq.

He said the injured players were «progressing as expected» but would not be involved against Iraq in A Coruna.

Asked specifically about teen star Yamal, De la Fuente added: «If everything continues as it has been so far, he could be ready on June 15, but that doesn’t guarantee he will play.»

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Spain will be one of the favorites at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

But De la Fuente insisted the tournament would be “historic because it is the World Cup in which most teams have a realistic prospect of winning”.

After facing Cape Verde, Spain will play Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on June 21 before wrapping up the group stage against Uruguay in Guadalajara on June 27.

Published on June 3, 2026