Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams Return to Training for Spain's World Cup

Spain’s World Cup build‑up finally brought a dose of good news on Thursday, as Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams both stepped back onto the training pitch and eased a nation’s nerves.

On the turf, there was no fanfare. Just two wingers moving freely again, testing hamstrings and confidence in equal measure. For La Roja, it meant everything.

Yamal, the Barcelona prodigy who lit up Euro 2024, had not played since pulling up with a hamstring injury on April 22. His absence has hung over Spain’s preparations like a cloud, every medical update dissected, every training clip scrutinised. Williams, so electric for Athletic Bilbao and just as vital to Luis de la Fuente’s vertical, aggressive Spain, has also been sidelined for a month after missing the end of his club’s season.

Both were back with the group on June 11, just four days before Spain open their World Cup campaign against Cape Verde in Atlanta on Monday. They trained, they smiled, they finished the session. For a coaching staff counting down to a major tournament, that is as close to a small victory as it gets.

“We know that both of them are coming back from important injuries,” right‑back Pedro Porro told reporters, underlining the caution that still surrounds the pair. “They are recovering, they are happy, they are with the group and that is the most important thing.”

De la Fuente has been consistent all week. He expects Yamal and Williams to feature at some stage in the group opener, but not from the first whistle. The medical reports, the lack of recent minutes and the long season in their legs all point in the same direction: Spain will not gamble in game one.

That plan shapes the starting XI. Spanish media report that De la Fuente is ready to stick with the side that beat Peru 3-1 in their final warm‑up friendly on Monday, a performance that settled some doubts about rhythm and sharpness. In that match, Alex Baena and Ferran Torres filled the wide roles, offering industry and intelligence if not quite the raw chaos that Yamal and Williams bring.

They are likely to do so again against Cape Verde.

It leaves Spain in an intriguing position. The reigning European champions arrive in the United States with a clear identity, a settled core and two of the most explosive wide players in world football… who are still working their way back to full speed. De la Fuente must balance the urge to unleash them with the need to protect them for the long haul of a World Cup.

For now, the equation is simple. Yamal and Williams are back on the grass, back in the rondos, back in the jokes and the huddles. Not yet back in the starting XI.

If Spain navigate Cape Verde without them from the outset, the real question becomes: how long before those two game‑breakers are ready to tilt this World Cup in La Roja’s favour?