Spain said Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Victor Munoz are all on track to face Cape Verde in its World Cup opener on Monday, a late lift for a team trying to line up its attack as the 2026 tournament begins. Coach Luis de la Fuente said the three forwards may still be managed on minutes in the match, but the update points to them being available when Spain needs them most.
That matters now because the 48-team World Cup opens Thursday and runs through July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, putting every squad under pressure to balance fitness against the pace of a 39-day event. For readers searching how many substitutions are allowed in the World Cup, the broader answer is that teams are already planning around how often they can change games and how carefully they can use injured players, especially one of the favorites.
De la Fuente’s latest read on Yamal is the clearest sign yet that Spain can expect its young winger to be part of the opener after an uncertain buildup. Yamal has not played since April 22, which made his status hard to pin down, and the coach said the forward, Williams and Munoz are all within the expected timeline to be in good condition for June 15. Spain also knows what it is missing: Fermin Lopez is already out with a foot fracture, leaving less margin for error if any of the returning attackers need to be eased in.
That is why the minutes restriction matters as much as the availability call. De la Fuente said the players could still be selected at some point in the match, not necessarily from the start, a detail that leaves open whether Spain uses them as full starters or late insurance against Cape Verde. For a contender trying to protect injured talent while still chasing points in the first game, that choice may be the one that defines the opener.
Across the tournament, the same calculation is showing up in other camps. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said Lionel Messi would be held to a minutes restriction to avoid any type of risks after the captain came off the bench in Tuesday’s 3-0 friendly win over Iceland in Auburn, Ala., scoring a penalty in the 72nd minute after entering in the 70th. Messi, who had not played since May 24 before that match, said he felt great and had been eager to shake off the lingering fears that come with an injury as Argentina prepares for its opener Tuesday against Algeria in Kansas City, Mo.
Spain’s update does not settle the bigger question, but it does sharpen it. The team has reason to believe its injured forwards are coming back in time; what remains unresolved is how much of them Spain will actually get on Monday, and whether that is enough to start a 39-day World Cup on the front foot.
