As the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage approaches, Spain has received a major boost ahead of its opening matchup against Cape Verde: every member of the national squad has cleared fitness checks and will be available for selection, after a string of pre-tournament injuries threatened to derail the team’s preparations.
Three of Spain’s high-profile attacking players have all returned to full training in time for the tournament, with forward Víctor Muñoz rejoining group sessions on Friday. His comeback comes one day after young star wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams also stepped back onto the training pitch. The Spanish side has navigated a wave of injury issues through the closing weeks of the 2025-26 club season, forcing coaching staff to adjust their training and recovery plans in the lead-up to soccer’s marquee global tournament. Midfielders Mikel Merino and Fabián Ruiz also overcame minor injury setbacks to secure their spots in the final roster, though one casualty remains: Barcelona midfield prospect Fermín López, who suffered a fractured foot and was unable to recover in time to make the squad.
The most high-profile injury concern surrounded 18-year-old Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, who damaged his left hamstring during a La Liga fixture in April. The teenage winger, who has already established himself as one of the most exciting talents in global soccer, is expected to be a core playmaker for Spain as the side chases its second ever World Cup title. Spain’s only World Cup triumph came in South Africa in 2010, the same year Yamal was born.
Nico Williams, the Athletic Bilbao winger, also suffered a hamstring injury during his final club match of the season in May. Both Williams and Yamal were sidelined for the remainder of their domestic campaigns, allowing them to dedicate full time to structured rehabilitation to make it to the World Cup. Muñoz, the Osasuna forward, picked up a muscle injury in May during club play, and has now also completed his recovery program.
While the entire squad is technically available for selection, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente is not expected to start the three recently recovered players in Monday’s opening match against Cape Verde, hosted in Atlanta. The trio is instead on track to reach peak full fitness in time for Spain’s second group stage fixture against Saudi Arabia, which will also be held in Atlanta on June 21. Spain will close out its group stage play against South American powerhouse Uruguay on June 26 in Guadalajara, Mexico, the host city where the squad is currently based after earlier pre-tournament training sessions in Tennessee.
Spain enters this World Cup on the back of a strong run of international form in recent years, following a disappointing 2022 tournament where the side was knocked out in the round of 16 by Morocco. Since that exit, the team claimed the 2024 European Championship title in Germany and won the 2023 UEFA Nations League, finishing as runners-up to Portugal in the 2025 edition of the tournament. Despite this recent success, Spain has not advanced past the round of 16 stage of the World Cup since its historic 2010 title win, making this tournament a key opportunity for the young, talented squad to end that drought.