Yamal to be fit for World Cup, but injury ends his Barcelona La Liga race

Spanish international Lamine Yamal is expected to be fit for this summer’s World Cup, but his domestic season is over due to injury his club Barcelona have confirmed.

The 18-year-old left the field injured when scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot against Celta Vigo in La Liga on Wednesday, raising concerns about his availability for World Cup 2026.

Barcelona’s medical team diagnosed a hamstring injury, which it revealed on Thursday morning.

“The tests carried out have confirmed that first-team player ⁠Lamine Yamal has a ⁠hamstring injury in his left leg (biceps femoris muscle),” Barcelona posted in a statement on the social media platform, X.

“The player will follow ⁠a conservative treatment plan. Lamine Yamal will ⁠miss the remainder of ⁠the season, and he is expected to be available for the World Cup.”

Spain will kick ‌off their World Cup campaign, which is set to be Yamal’s debut at the tournament, with a Group H game against ‌Cape ‌Verde on June 15.

Barcelona lead Real Madrid by nine points in the Spanish top flight, but the pair face each other in a Clasico after two more roundsat Camp Nou on May 10.

There are a total of six games remaining to be played in the La Liga season with Real Madrid traveling to Real Betis on Friday, and Barcelona playing at Getafe on Saturday.