Lamine Yamal: I feared I could miss the World Cup after April hamstring scare

Lamine Yamal has admitted he feared he might miss the 2026 World Cup after suffering a left biceps femoris (hamstring) injury for Barcelona on April 22. The 18-year-old forward, who has been cleared to join Spain's squad, says the scare left him anxious about his fitness and availability for the tournament but that medical assessments cleared him to travel.

Why it matters

Yamal is one of Spain's most highly rated young players and a regular feature for both Barcelona and La Roja. Any doubt over his fitness had major implications for Spain's attacking options at a World Cup where they enter as European champions. Losing him would have forced manager Luis de la Fuente to rethink selection and game plans; his presence even if not fully match-fit affects Spain's depth and tactical options off the bench.

What happened: the injury and immediate aftermath

According to a video released by the Royal Spanish Football Federation and reported by World Soccer Talk, Yamal injured the biceps femoris in his left leg immediately after converting a penalty in Barcelona's La Liga match against Celta Vigo on April 22. He left the pitch and did not play again for Barcelona that season.

Yamal described the moment as frightening, saying he prayed it would be nothing serious — perhaps a cramp — because he recognised it felt like a hamstring problem and knew that type of injury could require a lengthy recovery.

Spain call-up and tournament availability

Despite the injury ruling him out for the remainder of Barcelona's season, medical evaluations ultimately confirmed it would not prevent Yamal joining Spain for the World Cup. As a result, he has been cleared to travel with La Roja.

World Soccer Talk reports Yamal will miss Spain's pre-tournament friendlies against Iraq and Peru and Spain's opening Group H match against Cape Verde on Monday, June 15. He is expected to be in the final stages of recovery for Spain's remaining group fixtures against Saudi Arabia (June 21) and Uruguay (June 26), giving him the opportunity to make his World Cup debut later in the group stage.

Yamal's perspective and squad context

Yamal, who became the youngest ever European Championship winner with Spain in 2024, stressed his eagerness to make his World Cup debut. He cited the presence of experienced teammates — including Rodri, Mikel Oyarzabal, Pedri and Marc Cucurella, as named in the source — as reasons for confidence in Spain's title ambitions.

• Injury: Left biceps femoris (hamstring) injury sustained for Barcelona on April 22 against Celta Vigo.
• Immediate impact: Missed the remainder of Barcelona's season after the injury.
• Spain squad: Cleared to join Spain's World Cup squad but will miss pre-tournament friendlies vs Iraq and Peru.
• Group stage: Expected to miss Spain's opening game (vs Cape Verde, June 15) but may be available for later group matches vs Saudi Arabia (June 21) and Uruguay (June 26).
• Player view: Yamal feared the injury could be serious and risk missing the World Cup but remains optimistic about his chances and the squad's prospects.

What it means and what's next

With Yamal cleared to travel, Spain retain a leading young attacking option to call on as the tournament progresses. The immediate consequence is that he will not be available for warm-up matches or the first group game, so Spain will start the World Cup without him fully match-fit. How and when he is used in the remaining group games will be a selection decision for Luis de la Fuente based on Yamal's recovery in Guadalajara and training with the squad.

Further verification: readers should note this account is based on the World Soccer Talk report summarising comments in an RFEF video. Confirmatory details such as the exact medical grade of the injury or formal club statements from Barcelona were not provided in the source and should be checked against primary releases from the RFEF and Barcelona.