Initially, Yamal was named by coach De La Fuente in the squad for the two World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Georgia and Turkey. However, this afternoon (November 11), the RFEF unexpectedly announced that Yamal would not be able to join the team due to a groin injury (pubalgia) requiring 7 to 10 days of rest.
Notably, the Spain national team’s medical staff stated they were not informed in advance about the player’s condition. The RFEF only received a medical report from Barcelona on the very day the team was scheduled to assemble, leaving the federation “surprised and disappointed” with the club’s handling of the situation.
The issue is that Yamal had just played a full 90 minutes in the match against Celta Vigo in La Liga two days prior. Before that, the player had consistently featured in Barcelona’s lineup despite a demanding schedule.
Coach De La Fuente admitted his shock regarding Yamal’s case: “I am truly shocked. I’ve never been in a situation like this and I truly don’t think it’s normal. No one knew what was happening, there was no information, no updates, and then suddenly Barcelona announced that he couldn’t play.”
The conflict between Barcelona and the Spanish national team had actually started in September, when Barcelona claimed that Yamal’s injury was not carefully managed by the national team coaching staff, leading to the young player having to miss a long period of play after returning to the club.
At that time, coach Hansi Flick publicly criticized his counterpart De La Fuente for his handling of Yamal’s physical condition, leading to a strong reaction from the Spanish national team’s “helmsman.” Subsequently, both sides discussed and tried to de-escalate the tension, seemingly closing the matter.
However, Yamal’s fitness issues have still not been fully resolved. He missed Spain’s national team camp in October and now once again has to withdraw from La Roja’s squad, leaving De La Fuente and the RFEF exasperated, especially as the team is competing for a spot in the World Cup 2026.
According to the schedule, Spain will play away against Georgia at 0:00 AM on November 16, and then they will return home to face Turkey at 2:45 AM on November 19. Spain is currently three points ahead of Turkey and cannot be complacent heading into the final two matchdays.
