Updated 13 June 2026. The group stage is under way — Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the June 11 opener and South Korea edged Czechia 2-1 — and the fitness picture now splits in two: who is being managed between matchday one and two, and which stars are racing to be ready for the sides still waiting to begin, like Spain on June 15.
Final squads were locked in by FIFA’s June 1 deadline, with the official 26-man lists confirmed in the days that followed (Goal). Since then the usual late drama — injury withdrawals, fitness doubts and a few nervous coaches — has shaped how the contenders line up. Here is where the key stories stand.
The replacements already made
Under FIFA's rules, a listed player can be swapped only for serious injury or illness, up to 24 hours before a team's first match, with the replacement drawn from the original 55-man preliminary list (Goal). Several teams have already used it:
- Germany: Lennart Karl withdrew injured, replaced by Assan Ouédraogo on June 5.
- Bosnia-Herzegovina: Osman Hadžikić replaced by Mladen Jurkas on June 1.
- Canada: Marcelo Flores withdrew injured on May 31.
(Per the live squad tracker on Wikipedia.)
Spain: the Yamal watch
The highest-profile fitness story belongs to Spain. Lamine Yamal injured his left hamstring converting a penalty for Barcelona on April 22, and coach Luis de la Fuente expects him fit for the opener against Cape Verde on June 15 — without guaranteeing a start (ESPN).
"If nothing changes, he could be ready to play on June 15," de la Fuente said. "Maybe a few minutes, maybe just practice." We follow the day-by-day picture in our dedicated Yamal tracker.
If nothing changes, he could be ready to play on June 15. Maybe a few minutes, maybe just practice.
Argentina: managing Messi
Argentina named Lionel Messi in their squad with Scaloni calming injury fears, acknowledging the captain has carried muscle fatigue and a minor left-hamstring strain but describing early reports as "not that bad" (NBC). Defender Cristian Romero was also included despite a knee-ligament issue.
France: rotation, not crisis
France lost 2-1 to Ivory Coast in a final warm-up, but with several PSG players rested after the Champions League final, Deschamps framed it as preparation rather than alarm (Al Jazeera). We unpack what it means in our France analysis.
The bottom line
No tournament starts with every star at 100 percent, and 2026 is no exception. The headline names are, for now, expected to feature — but expect managed minutes and late calls across the opening round.
Set your picks before kick-off on the predictions page, and follow opening weekend in our matchday-one guide.
Sources
- Goal — When are final World Cup 2026 squads announced?
- Wikipedia — 2026 FIFA World Cup squads
- ESPN — Spain coach expects Yamal fit for opener
- NBC — Messi in Argentina's squad as coach calms injury fears
- Al Jazeera — Ivory Coast beat France in warm-up
Kickoff XI is an independent publication and is not affiliated with FIFA.
