Lamine Yamal will not feature again for Barcelona this season, but Spain's manager Luis de la Fuente has indicated he expects the winger to be available for the 2026 World Cup. The update, reported by Football España, offers cautious encouragement to both club and country after an anxious few weeks following Yamal's withdrawal from action.
The hamstring injury was sustained during Barcelona's 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo last month, according to Football España. The projected recovery window of five weeks, if accurate, would leave Yamal with sufficient time to return to full fitness before Spain's World Cup campaign begins.
The timing is delicate. Hamstring injuries at this level of professional football rarely follow a clean trajectory, and any setback in the coming weeks would sharpen the concern around his availability. De la Fuente's comments suggest confidence rather than certainty, which is the appropriate register for a muscle injury still working through its projected timeline.
Yamal has established himself as one of the central figures in both Barcelona's attacking play and Spain's international setup. His absence for the remainder of the domestic season will be felt at the Camp Nou, where Barcelona have pressing business still to conclude, but the broader focus from a national perspective is clearly fixed on the summer.
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, represents the next major stage on which Spain will be expected to compete at the highest level. De la Fuente's squad selection will be shaped in part by how this recovery unfolds over the coming weeks, and Yamal's fitness will remain among the most closely monitored situations in European football as the tournament approaches.