Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has suffered a major blow ahead of the World Cup after Barcelona midfielder Fermin López was ruled out with a broken foot. Barcelona announced on Monday, May 18, that López fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during the club’s 3-1 win over Real Betis and will undergo surgery, without giving a timetable for his return. Spain open their World Cup group on June 15 against Cape Verde, then face Saudi Arabia on June 21 and Uruguay on June 27, leaving the 23-year-old no realistic chance of recovery for the tournament.
The injury occurred during Barcelona’s home victory over Real Betis, when López was substituted at halftime; the club confirmed the severity of the fracture a day later. “Fermin López suffered a fracture to the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot in the game against Betis. The player will undergo surgery,” Barcelona said in a statement on Monday.
López has seven senior caps for Spain and had been widely expected to make de la Fuente’s 26-man World Cup squad, making his absence a clear selection headache for the coach. The setback adds to pressure on Spain’s squad planning as final choices are finalised.
At club level López has emerged as a regular for Barcelona across the past two seasons, playing a key role in back-to-back La Liga titles. This season he scored 13 goals and provided 17 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions, despite twice suffering groin problems earlier in the campaign.
The World Cup would have marked López’s second major tournament for Spain after his 28-minute appearance during Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph. His loss weakens Spain’s midfield options and forces de la Fuente to consider alternatives.
The injury also compounds wider fitness concerns within the Spanish squad. De la Fuente said last week he was willing to wait for Athletic Club winger Nico Williams to recover from a hamstring problem, while Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is racing to return from a torn hamstring and Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino remains doubtful after earlier foot surgery.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/spains-fermin-lopez-ruled-out-of-world-cup-with-broken-foot
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Publish Date: 2026-05-18 22:21:00
