While he rehabilitates his injured left hamstring, Lamine Yamal remains behind at Spain’s base camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee, rather than joining the team for the final friendly before the World Cup.
Spain will not take teenage phenom Yamal or forwards Nico Williams and Victor Munoz to Peru on Monday in Puebla, Mexico.
Yamal suffered a partial tear in his hamstring on April 22 while playing for FC Barcelona. The 18-year-old missed the rest of the La Liga season but was picked for his first World Cup by Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente.
Spain opens its FIFA World Cup on June 15 against Cape Verde in Atlanta, and de la Fuente said earlier this week that the prodigy “could be ready in time”.
“It doesn’t mean he will play for sure, we’ll see,” de la Fuente said. «Maybe a few minutes, maybe just practice so he can improve his fitness for the second match. We’ll have to evaluate.»
That matches a report on Sunday from Spanish newspaper Diario AS, which said Barcelona have set conditions for Yamal’s return: no more than 15 minutes against Cape Verde, and a maximum of 60 minutes in Spain’s second match against Saudi Arabia.
A physiotherapist from Barcelona named Fernando Galan also works closely with the Spanish national team’s medical staff and has overseen Yamal’s rehabilitation plan, Diario AS reported.
Yamal finished second at the 2025 Ballon d’Or, which voted for the best player in the world. He also helped Spain win the Euro 2024 title after turning 17 during the tournament.
He scored six goals in 25 games for the Spanish national team.
Published on June 8, 2026
