Fermín López has been ruled into surgery after Barcelona said tests showed a fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot, a setback that puts his chances of making Spain’s World Cup squad at serious risk. The midfielder was emerging as one of Barcelona’s most important players when the injury stopped his season in its tracks.
Barcelona’s medical report confirmed the fracture after the latest tests on López, whose recovery is expected to take six to eight weeks. That timeline leaves him racing the clock with Spain’s squad list due next Monday, and it gives coach Luis de la Fuente little room for delay as he shapes his final 26-player group.
The injury lands at a brutal moment for López, who had just finished the season with 13 goals and 17 assists as Barcelona won La Liga. In the closing stretch, he had grown into one of the team’s most influential players, a role that made his absence matter far beyond one match or one club.
Spain’s planning was already moving fast before the news broke. De la Fuente is working from a 55-player list and still has to trim it to 26 for the tournament squad, with the World Cup preparations nearing a key cutoff next week. López’s injury now forces a rethink that could open the door for Alberto Moleiro, Pablo Fornals and Yeremy Pino, all of whom gain options in the selection picture.
The problem for Spain is not only the injury itself but the timing around it. López’s participation in the World Cup qualifying campaign was minimal, which means he had little chance to build a firm case in the current setup before this setback. That leaves De la Fuente weighing a player whose club form surged late against a medical report that makes his availability uncertain for the biggest stage.
There is still a narrow path back, but the margins are harsh. A six to eight week recovery can cover a lot of ground for a club season; it is far less forgiving when the final national team list is about to be locked and the World Cup is already in view. For López, the next few weeks now decide whether a breakthrough year ends with a place on the plane or with a place on the sidelines.
Spain also will not have several other key names in full World Cup preparation immediately. Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Mikel Merino are not expected to join until the Uruguay match, leaving De la Fuente to manage a squad build that is still taking shape while López’s injury tightens the pressure on his final choices.
