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Spain will begin their World Cup 2026 campaign in Group H against Cape Verde, but questions have been raised over whether young sensation Lamine Yamal will feature in the match.

Under the guidance of Luis de la Fuente, the Spanish national team enters the tournament as one of the favourites, with many neutrals expecting them to build upon their Euro 2024 triumph and make a deep run in the competition.

Although Cape Verde are not expected to present a major challenge, Spain might have to manage without their teenage star for the full duration of the game.

Barcelona’s prodigious forward, Lamine Yamal, arrived at the World Cup with some lingering fitness concerns after missing the recent warm-up friendly against Peru. However, national team coach Luis de la Fuente has expressed confidence that the youngster is nearing full fitness.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Group H fixture, De la Fuente stated, “The good news is that Lamine is in perfect condition. He has reached this stage exactly as we wanted. He feels fine, just like Nico [Williams] and Victor [Muñoz]. Everyone is available, although not all will play the full match.”

Elaborating further on Yamal’s physical readiness, De la Fuente added, “The medical team confirms that Lamine can play tomorrow without any problems. He’s not ready to play for 90 minutes, but he can definitely take part for some time. The situation with Williams is similar. They’ve trained together for several days and hours, and their understanding is excellent. They could feature if the match circumstances require it.”

Yamal, who already has 25 caps for Spain, played a crucial role in helping his country lift the Euro 2024 trophy two years ago. His progress since then has made him one of the most talked-about young players in world football.

Given that Cape Verde are ranked 67th in the world — one of the lower-ranked sides in the tournament — Spain may choose not to risk Yamal unnecessarily in their opening match.

Before his late-season injury, the teenager enjoyed another outstanding campaign with Barcelona, scoring 24 goals and providing 18 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions. His contributions were instrumental in helping Barcelona secure back-to-back La Liga titles, finishing eight points ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid.