Spain’s iconic inverted winger Lamine Yamal has been left out of the playing eleven for La Roja’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Cape Verde. The 18-year-old Spaniard will start on the bench for their opening match on Monday, June 15.
In addition to Yamal, the other two players Nico Williams and Victor Munoz have also recovered from injury and are starting from the bench. They’ll be ready to enter the fray if needed.
Yamal suffered a left hamstring injury in April 2026 but has since returned to full fitness. Spanish team manager, Luis de la Fuente, confirmed that the player has fully recovered, passing fitness and training successfully.
He added that the management will ease Yamal into the tournament to avoid any setbacks.
Here’s the full Spanish and Cape Verde squad for the opening Group H meeting:
Spain:
Unai Simon; Marcos Llorente, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Pedri; Ferran Torres, Gavi, Mikel Oyarzabal
Cape Verde:
Vozinha; Diney Borges, Roberto Lopes, Sidny Cabral, Steven Moreira; Kevin Pina, Jovane Cabral, Jamiro Monteiro, Laros Duarte; Dailon Livramento, Ryan Mendes
Spain being the strong side are clear favourites to win the game; however, an upset can not be ruled out. The match at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, United States, kicks off at 12pm (16:00 GMT).
2026-06-15 23:05:00
