Yamal's Cautious World Cup Comeback

Spanish media reported not just a possible cameo vs Cape Verde, but a fuller timeline: Diario Sport suggested Yamal could play 15–20 minutes against Cape Verde, then is expected to feature for at least 30 minutes vs Saudi Arabia before starting Spain’s final group game against Uruguay.

Luis de la Fuente gave a specific, cautious conditional assessment of Yamal’s return: “If nothing changes, he could be ready to play on June 15,” adding, “It doesn’t mean that for sure he will play, we’ll see. Maybe a few minutes, maybe just practice so he can improve his condition for the second match. We will have to evaluate.”

Yamal returned to training with Spain for the first time after arriving in the United States the previous day, and while there had been debate about his fitness, the report stressed De la Fuente will decide his “final say” minutes—also noting Yamal had not played in either of Spain’s two warm-up matches.

The recovery is framed against a milestone national-team backdrop: Fabrizio Romano’s report highlighted that Yamal became Spain’s youngest senior international to debut and score at 16 in 2023, then a year later led Spain to the European Championship and was named the tournament’s best player.