Yamal injury ends Barcelona season but Spain expect World Cup availability

The 18-year-old forward sustained a hamstring tear scoring against Celta Vigo, ruling him out of La Liga's final weeks.

Barcelona confirmed on Thursday that Lamine Yamal will miss the remainder of the domestic season after sustaining a hamstring injury in his left leg, but expect him to be available for Spain's World Cup campaign beginning in June⁶.

The 18-year-old was injured while converting a penalty in Barcelona's 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo on Wednesday⁴⁵. Yamal scored in the 40th minute after drawing a foul, but immediately signaled to the bench that he was hurt and dropped to the ground as teammates arrived to celebrate⁴⁵. He left the field unaided after being attended by medical staff⁴.

"We have to wait," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said after the match. "He felt it. After the goal, he would not leave the pitch without reason. Hopefully it's not so bad, but we have to wait until tomorrow."⁵

Tests conducted Thursday revealed a tear to the biceps femoris muscle in Yamal's left hamstring⁶. The club announced he will follow a conservative treatment plan and is expected to be available for the World Cup⁶.

Spain open their Group H campaign against Cape Verde on 15 June, giving Yamal approximately seven weeks to recover⁶. The injury comes as Spain prepare for what will be Yamal's World Cup debut⁴⁶.

The victory restored Barcelona's nine-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga⁴. Madrid had defeated relegation-threatened Alaves 2-1 on Tuesday, ending a four-game winless streak that followed their Champions League quarterfinal elimination by Bayern Munich³. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior scored for Madrid in that match³.

Yamal helped Spain win Euro 2024 and lifted La Liga with Barcelona last season⁷. Barcelona lead the table with six matches remaining and travel to Getafe on Saturday⁴.