Spain will have a full squad available for the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Cape Verde on Monday, with striker Víctor Munoz returning to training a day after Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams also returned.
Spain was hit by injuries at the end of last season and had to adjust preparations in the run-up to the biggest football tournament. Mikel Merino and Fabián Ruiz also battled injuries before returning to the squad. One player who did not make it in time was Barcelona midfielder Fermín Lopez, who has a broken foot.
The biggest concern for Spain was Yamal, the young Barcelona winger who injured his left hamstring during a Spanish league match in April.
Yamal, 18, is expected to lead the team in its bid to win its second World Cup title. Spain won South Africa’s biggest football prize in 2010, when Yamal was two years old.
Williams injured his hamstring while playing for Athletic Bilbao in a league match in May. Both Williams and Yamal were out with their clubs this season as they focused on recovering in time for the World Cup.
Munoz, who returned to training on Friday, suffered a muscle injury while playing for Osasuna in May.
Spanish national coach Luis de la Fuente will probably not use Munoz, Yamal and Williams from the start against Cape Verde on Monday in Atlanta. They are more likely to be fully fit for Spain’s second match against Saudi Arabia on June 21, also in Atlanta. The team’s final group match is on June 26 in Guadalajara, Mexico against South American powerhouse Uruguay.
Spain, training in Tennessee, recovered from a round-of-16 defeat by Morocco at the 2022 World Cup by winning the 2024 European Championship in Germany. La Roja also won the 2023 Nations League and finished runners-up to Portugal in the 2025 Nations League.
Spain has not progressed beyond the last sixteen at the World Cup since its only title in 2010.
Published on June 13, 2026
