BARCELONA, Spain -- Spain's Andres Iniesta will go to South Africa for the World Cup after medical tests showed a leg injury is not as bad as feared.

Iniesta hurt his right thigh in Tuesday's 6-0 friendly win over Poland.

The Spanish federation said Wednesday that an MRI scan revealed swelling but it "does not appear to be a tear."

"We cannot determine the recovery time, but the player's chances of playing the first game of the World Cup have not been discarded," the federation said on its website.

The 26-year-old Barcelona midfielder emerged from a clinic in Barcelona smiling and told reporters, "I'm OK."

European champion Spain opens its schedule June 16 in Group H in South Africa against Switzerland, then plays Honduras and Chile.

Iniesta has not played a full game for Spain since February 2009 and has been bothered by the same muscle problem since May 2009.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press