Will Lamine Yamal Play in the World Cup? Here's What We Know So Far

The status of Spain star Lamine Yamal for the 2026 World Cup may now be in flux after he suffered a torn hamstring.

FC Barcelona announced Thursday the 18-year-old attacker will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season. Crucially, however, the club said he should be available for the World Cup.

In an Instagram post (via the BBC's Elizabeth Conway), Yamal said he'll "come back stronger, more eager than ever."

"This injury leaves me off the field at the time I most wanted to be, and it hurts more than I can explain," he said. "It hurts not being able to fight with my team-mates, not being able to help when the team needs me. But I believe in them and I know they're going to drop their souls in every game.

"I'll be there, even if it's from the outside, supporting, encouraging and pushing as one more. This is not the end, this is just a break."

Yamal reaffirmed his status as one of world football's brightest stars this year. In 28 La Liga appearances, he had 16 goals and 11 assists. He added another six goals and four assists in the Champions League.

Barcelona's European journey came to an end in the quarterfinals thanks to a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Atlético Madrid.

Yamal's injury shouldn't derail Barça's bid to win a second straight domestic title. They have a nine-point lead on Real Madrid with six games to play.

Spain's World Cup campaign is a different question.

La Roja are counting on Yamal to play a big role after he was so pivotal in helping them win Euro 2024. He was named the young player of the tournament.

Spain was drawn against Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H, and its first match is June 15.

Especially when as many as three teams can advance out of a group, Luis de la Fuente's squad should be able to get to the round of 32 with or without Yamal. His otherworldly abilities will be much more important once the level of competition gets tougher in the knockout stages.