Yamal speaks ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has disclosed that he is fit and ready for the 2026 World Cup

Yamal is expected to be fit for the tournament that begins on June 11 in North America. He injured his left hamstring while converting a penalty kick with Barcelona in a Spanish league match on April 22

The 18-year-old Yamal went down after converting a first-half penalty kick in the game against Celta Vigo. He scored and immediately looked to the bench to signal he was hurt. He dropped to the ground as his teammates arrived to celebrate, then appeared to grab the back of his left leg.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said last week after including Yamal in his World Cup squad that the forward was expected to be ready to play either the first or second Spain match. La Roja will debut against Cape Verde on June 15 in Atlanta. In a chat with RFEF, Yamal stated that he can;t wait to play at the 2026 World Cup.

“Finally, the moment has come. I think ever since the Euros ended, we were all thinking about this day and we’re all really excited. We’re coming in as the team we are, as European champions, and we’re going all out.” I remember the sequence when I got injured. I was praying inside that it was nothing, that it was just a cramp or something minor, because I felt the World Cup was so close and I knew it was a hamstring injury, which I’d never had before, but I knew it wouldn’t be a short recovery. So I was afraid it would be serious, and above all, that even if it wasn’t serious, I could relapse and miss the World Cup.

“It’s also true that it helps knowing you’re going to play in a World Cup, so your mind feels as if you haven’t played a single match all season, and I’m really eager to make my debut.

“In my mind, it feels like I’ve been playing football for 10 years, but in reality it’s been three years, and four years ago I was playing with them at the local sports centre. So, a kid who was playing with you three years ago is now going to play in a World Cup. It has to be something crazy, really crazy.”