How long does Lamine Yamal last? Latest news, injury update and Barcelona and Spain winger’s reaction to hamstring problem ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup

Barcelona’s 1-0 win at home to Celta Vigo on April 22 was overshadowed by the injured Lamine Yamal, and the 18-year-old said his unfortunate timing was “painful in a way I can’t describe”.

The Spaniard was substituted in the first half and in pain, leading to concerns that one of Barca and La Roja’s key presences could be out for a long time.

“This injury leaves me out of the field at a time when I wanted it the most [on it],” Lamal replied a day after he posted on social media.

“It hurts not being able to fight with my teammates, not being able to help the team that needs me. But I believe in them and I know that they will give their lives in every game.”

Here’s the latest on Yamal’s progress, including when he might regain his senses and his hopes of playing in the World Cup.

What is the latest news on Lamine Yamal’s injury?

Barcelona released the update a day after Yamal was forced off after confirming the academy product has injured his left side.

The club added that Yamal will follow a “strict treatment plan”.

How long will Yamal be out? What games will he miss?

Yamal is expected to miss Barca’s run as Hansi Flick’s side try to seal their Liga title, having moved nine points clear of second-placed Real Madrid by beating Celta Vigo.

They have six games left in 2025/26, all in La Liga following their Champions League final exit to Atletico Madrid in April.

The most notable game that Yamal will miss is the Clasico against Madrid on May 10. Here is how Barca’s schedule looks.

Will Lamine Yamal play in the World Cup with Spain? Possible return date

Depending on its severity, hamstring injuries usually take between four and six weeks to fully recover.

That would mean that Lamal will be able to train fully in the last week of May. The return in six weeks will coincide with Spain’s final friendly before the World Cup, when they face Peru in the Mexican city of Puebla on June 8.

Spain’s campaign for the finals begins against 69th-ranked Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15. Their games could work well for Yamal to return to action as they face 61st-ranked Saudi Arabia.

The European champions’ toughest-looking group stage game will be against 17th-ranked Uruguay in a game that comes more than two months after Yamal’s injury.

Medical expert and FIFA-certified doctor Pedro Luis Ripoll believes that Yamal’s return will have to be “very careful” because the injury has a 30% recurrence rate.

“We have to be very careful with the recovery timeline,” Ripoll told El Larguero, via Cadena Ser.

“If the injury is found in the belly of the muscle, we are talking about a very dangerous disease; however, if it is found at the junction of the muscle and the tendon or in the tendon itself, the injury may be more serious: at least four to six weeks.

The first edition of the Spanish World Cup looks like this. Start times with an asterisk indicate the previous day.

Lamine Yamal statistics, injury history

Since scoring seven goals and nine assists in 50 games in all competitions for Barca in 2023/24, Yamal has quickly established himself as one of the best players in the world.

Yamal scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists in 2024/25, helping his club win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

The penalty that caused his injury was Yamal’s 24th goal in all competitions in another impressive season, with the runaway leader in terms of Liga assists after netting 11 goals.

Only Liga’s top scorer, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, could better Yamal’s tally of 27 straight goals in the division at the time of his injury.

The France captain and Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi are the only players to surpass Yamal’s tally of 16 goals at this stage.

The 2025 Ballon d’Or runner-up produced four assists and six goals in Barcelona’s Champions League campaign, scoring after four minutes to put them ahead on the night in the second leg of their clash with Atleti, although their home rivals held on for a comeback to go 3-2 on aggregate.

Scorer in his Spain debut against Georgia in September 2023, Yamal has six goals and 12 assists in 25 games.

Barcelona Yamal missed five games in September and October while suffering from pubalgia – a type of sports hernia that involves permanent damage to the soft tissue below the abdomen or groin, which also caused him to miss four games in Spain.

In 2024/25, Yamal played five matches for Barca and three international matches with an ankle problem.

Who will stop Barcelona instead of Lamine Yamal?

While some consider Yamal’s skills irreplaceable, the good news for Flick is that Barca have plenty of attacking options that can provide a serious threat.

Brazilian striker Raphinha was hoping to make a quick return from a hamstring injury while Yamal suffered a similar problem, while the likes of Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Marcus Rashford and Joao Cancelo also provided range and goals.

Flick spoke before the game against Celta Vigo about 20-year-old Roony Bardghji, who replaced Yamal when he was injured.

“You hope to get more playing time, but sometimes that happens,” Flick said, calling the Swede “a wonderful professional”.

“We have Lamine in that situation… right now, we need him on the field again.” Roony is very nice and I have spoken to him and explained his situation.

“He plays with the best players in the world and has improved a lot, and we will talk at the end of the season, there are still games to be played.

“[The players are] everything is important, and we need them all to be better.”

Barcelona scored an incredible 102 goals in their 32 league games in 2024/25.

They would need to average three goals per game to surpass the total during their last six games of the 2025/26 season.