Spain will hope that Lamine Yamal is fully fit for Sunday’s World Cup final showdown with Argentina. The Barcelona superstar remains La Roja’s headline attacking threat but sparked concerns after not taking part in training in New Jersey on Thursday and wearing a bandage on his left thigh, having been seen limping after the semi-final win over France.
Injury Concerns and Training Absences
Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro also sat out that session, though both players are expected to be fine to start this weekend. Yamal has been having his workload carefully managed after a season curtailed by a hamstring injury during which he also underwent surgery on a recurring groin issue, while he was said to have been feeling “aches and pains” after his battles with France left-backs Lucas Digne and Theo Hernandez in Dallas.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said that Porro was dealing with “muscle tightness”, but it’s not thought to leave him any doubt for the clash with Argentina. The reigning European champions otherwise appear to have a clean bill of health as they look to dethrone the holders and win a second World Cup crown, their first since 2010 in South Africa.
Predicted Lineup and Tactical Decisions
It is therefore hard to see De La Fuente wanting to make changes to a side that so confidently dispatched of tournament favourites France, having named the same team for the semi-finals as he did for the last-eight win over Belgium. Fabian Ruiz has been preferred as the midfield partner for Rodri, with Pedri having to make do with a seat on the bench. That tough selection decision is sure to make headlines again ahead of the final, but otherwise Spain’s team rather picks itself.
Unai Simon has held off stiff competition from both David Raya and Joan Garcia to remain the undisputed No1, with a first-choice centre-back pairing of Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte flanked by Porro and Marc Cucurella. Rodri should again be joined in the engine room by Ruiz, with Yamal featuring alongside Dani Olmo and Alex Baena as the attacking trio in support of lone frontman Mikel Oyarzabal.
Key Substitutes and Options
Baena has managed to keep his place on the left for Spain despite the return to fitness of former automatic starter and Euro 2024 star Nico Williams, who has been coming off the bench following injury. Pedri, Williams, Mikel Merino and Ferran Torres are among the strong options available to De La Fuente as substitutes, or in the unlikely event that he chooses to spring a surprise or two from the start.
Predicted Spain XI (4-2-3-1): Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Ruiz; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal.
Match Details
Time and date: 8pm BST on Sunday July 19, 2026. Venue: MetLife Stadium, New Jersey. How to watch: BBC and ITV.
