Barcelona give green light for Lamine Yamal to play in 2026 World Cup opener | OneFootball

With just over a week to go until Spain start their 2026 World Cup campaign, there is still uncertainty surrounding Lamine Yamal and his involvement in their opener against Cape Verde. The 18-year-old has been out of action since injuring his hamstring in Barcelona’s victory over Celta Vigo in April, and while the it had been hoped he would be at 100%, that is not the case.

Lamine Yamal has been involved in Spain’s camp for the upcoming tournament, but he hasn’t been included in any of the training sessions nor matches. However, that changed on Saturday, as MD have reported that he did part of the session alongside Nico Williams, who is also making his way back from injury.

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente expects to have Lamine Yamal available for the match against Cape Verde, but how much he can play actually depends on Barcelona. The Spanish Football Federation has been in touch with the Catalans in regards to managing the teenager’s minutes during the group stage, and according to Diario AS, an agreement has been reached between the two parties.

Lamine Yamal can only play 15 minutes vs Cape Verde

Image via BBC / Getty Images

Barcelona have given the green light for Lamine Yamal to feature in Spain’s World Cup opener against Cape Verde, but they would only allow him to play a maximum of 15 minutes. He would also be managed for the following match against Saudi Arabia, with his club only prepared for him to feature for an hour at most.

Spain should have more than enough to see off Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia without calling upon Lamine Yamal for the entire 90 minutes in each match, and when it comes to the final group stage match against Uruguay and any fixture after, Barcelona have communicated to the RFEF that they would be comfortable for him to play the full match if necessary.