Spain’s Yamal in Danger of Missing World Cup After Injury

The 2026 World Cup betting favorite, Spain, may have just lost its top young star.

Barcelona midfielder Lamine Yamal has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a hamstring injury. The 18-year-old played a major role in Spain’s Euro championship in 2024 and was expected to help lead them to a World Cup title this summer. 

While details of the injury have been scarce, officials at the La Liga club said they expect him to be ready for the 2026 World Cup in June.

Precaution or gamesmanship?

The latest official statement from Barcelona suggests that the move to shut down Yamal was purely precautionary. 

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.

The club leads second-place Real Madrid by nine points, making a regular-season title all but certain. That would make playing Yamal an unnecessary risk and could anger Spain’s national team and fans looking forward to the World Cup. This makes it easy to believe the statement and that Yamal will be ready to go in June.

However, there are many reasons why Barcelona would want to under-hype the injury publicly. The biggest is to help Spain, which won’t want to tip off their upcoming opponents to the player’s true injury status. This would also protect Yamal from having opposing players expose the injury if it lingers into the summer.

Hamstring injuries are tricky

There are several grades of hamstring injuries with vastly different recovery timelines. However, none of them fully heal for athletes within two months. While the initial pain and injury will subside, the lingering tightness can have a massive impact, limiting a player’s speed and cutting ability on the pitch. 

Hamstring injuries are also easy to re-aggravate, especially when playing the brand of soccer we’ll soon see in the World Cup. 

All this means that Spain will need to decide how to use Yamal, which could include restricting his time on the pitch.

Sportsbooks see Spain’s edge shrinking

While many of the best sports betting apps still have Spain as the favorite to win the 2026 World Cup, many have dropped their odds after Yamal’s injury. That likely shows that bookmakers (and bettors) believe the young midfielder won’t be himself when the tournament kicks off in just under two months.

Spain has no shortage of depth, but the idea of Yamal being limited has many now viewing France as a co-favorite. While the team is always a popular bet to win the World Cup, the shift in odds shows bookmakers may be slowly backing away from Spain.