Lamine Yamal Injury: Progress, Potential Return Date As World Cup Nears
Fifty days before the start of the 2026 World Cup, one of the tournament’s likely protagonists sent shockwaves around the world.
Barcelona and Spain sensation Lamine Yamal limped out of his side’s 1–0 win over Celta Vigo with an obvious hamstring problem, picked up as he scored what proved to be the winning penalty. Celebrations soon turned to concerns as Yamal immediately headed for the turf.
With the World Cup edging closer, fears that Yamal would be forced to miss the tournament quickly grew. Here’s everything we know about the young winger’s injury.
What Injury Does Lamine Yamal Have?
Yamal went down after scoring a penalty. / Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Reports of a torn hamstring soon emerged, and ESPN state club sources admitted that was their initial line of thinking as they awaited the results of scans conducted after Barça’s victory over Celta Vigo.
After receiving those results, a club statement read: “Tests have confirmed that first-team player Lamine Yamal has a hamstring injury in his left leg.”
The severity of Yamal’s injury was not disclosed, but it was noted that he will undergo “conservative treatment,” rather than surgery, suggesting that he had avoided anything particularly serious.
Will Lamine Yamal Be Fit for Start of World Cup?
Yamal’s World Cup dreams are not in danger. / Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto/Getty Images
By not confirming the extent of Yamal’s injury, it was hard to put a specific timeline on his recovery.
Barcelona did say that the winger would not play again in 2025–26, but offered reassurance that he’d be fit for the World Cup.
In search of further details, AS reported at the time that medical staff expect Yamal to need no more than five weeks on the sidelines, suggesting he has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring injury—not the best-case scenario but, significantly, far from the worst.
He has had seven weeks to recover, with potential return dates varying in degrees of optimism. The Athletic reported in mid-May that Yamal was unlikely to feature in Spain’s World Cup opener against Cabo Verde on June 15 and was a doubt to face Saudi Arabia on Matchday 2.
However, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente provided an encouraging update a week out from the Cabo Verde clash. He expects Yamal to be available next Monday.
Speaking about Yamal, Athletic Club’s Nico Williams and Osasuna’s Victor Muñoz, De la Fuente said: “All three are within the expected timelines to arrive in good condition for June 15.
“The most important thing is that those timelines are being met and will continue to be met, so they can be with us and available to be selected at some point in the match.”
Given the level of opposition Spain is facing in its first two games, some might wonder whether there’s a need to risk Yamal off the back of a significant-enough hamstring injury. The European champions should have far too much for debutants Cabo Verde and Saudi Arabia without him.
Yamal, though, will undoubtedly want to play as much as he can of his first World Cup. The stage is set for the Barcelona superstar to dominate.
