Luis de la Fuente won’t be able to call upon Lamine Yamal as Spain continues on the journey through 2026 World Cup qualifying in October.
La Roja face two home games against Georgia and Bulgaria, aiming to secure their qualification for next summer’s tournament, set to enter as one of the big favorites.
Yamal played a massive role as Spain began the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign making light work of Bulgaria and Türkiye last month, assisting three out of nine goals over the two games. But the teenager’s recent brilliance for his country came at a price.
The 18-year-old has dealt with injury issues ever since, resulting in Hansi Flick publicly slamming Spain’s handling of Yamal’s fitness. Now, Barcelona’s No. 10 won’t be able to join his fellow clubmates in La Roja’s October camp.
What is Lamine Yamal’s Injury?
Upon returning to Barcelona after September’s international action, the Catalans announced Yamal had picked up an injury to the pubic area, an injury better known as pubalgia. Yamal went on to miss four straight games for Barça.
He eventually returned from injury on Sept. 28, but thee days later, he reaggravated the injury in Barça’s Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
After playing over 60 games as a 17-year-old in 2024–25, the toll of the grueling schedule appears to be taking a toll on the 2025 Ballon d’Or runner-up.
When Will Lamine Yamal Return from Injury?
Barcelona announced Yamal is expected to miss two or three weeks. Theoretically, the electrifying winger could return almost immediately after the international break.
The problem with Yamal’s injury is that rest and load management is the only way to fully recover. Barcelona’s main target is to have their superstar fully fit for the first El Clásico of the season away at Real Madrid on Oct. 26.
But Flick himself spoke about Yamal’s injury recently and admitted that it’s impossible to predict the exact date for when the Spaniard’s will be ready for action. It all will depend on how the prodigy evolves in the coming days and weeks.
The worst thing Barcelona could do is hurry Yamal back to the pitch, risking yet another setback that could turn his groin injury into a chronic issue that, in a worst case scenario, would require surgery.
Still, according to Mundo Deportivo, the plan is for Yamal to progressively return to action on the other side of the October break. If all goes according to plan, the idea is for him to feature from the bench against Girona on Oct. 18, then play a little over half the game against Olympiacos on Oct. 21, and then be fully unleashed vs. Real Madrid the following Sunday.
If there aren’t any more injury setbacks to come, Yamal could potentially feature for Spain again in November World Cup qualifier matches against Georgia and Türkiye.
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MATCH REACTION
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why is Lamine Yamal Not Playing for Spain in October?.
