FIFA World Cup 2026: Spain eye back-to-back Round of 16 qualification against Austria

Spain did not have the best of outings in the group stages, as per their standards, but that could change in the knockout rounds against a relatively weaker Austrian side

Published: July 2, 2026, 5:12 PM IST

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Rodri (R) of Spain vies with Nicolas de la Cruz of Uruguay during the group H match between Uruguay and Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Guadalajara Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, June 26, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua via IANS)

Luis de la Fuente’s Spain will be up against Austria in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood. The 2010 champions will be making their 6th consecutive knockout appearance at the quadrennial event and they will be eyeing a spot in the last 16 stage for the second time in a row.

Thus far, 10 nations have booked their tickets to the Round of 16 with England, Belgium and co-hosts United States of America joining the list yesterday in their respective last 32 matches. Only 6 more spots are yet to be filled and either of Spain or Austria will join the queue soon.

We have already witnessed two giant killings in the FIFA World Cup 2026 so far, with Paraguay knocking out Germany and Morocco eliminating the Netherlands on penalties. Austria has the chance to commit a third massive upset but it won’t be an easy task.

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How Spain reached the Round of 32?

Spain did not have the best of outings in the group stages, as per their standards, but that could change in the knockout rounds. Doubts started arising over La Roja’s potential in the FIFA World Cup 2026 when they played out a frustrating goalless draw against first-timers Cape Verde in their Group H opener.

However, the 2010 champions staged a turnaround in their following group games, beating Saudi Arabia 4-0 and Uruguay with a narrow 1-0 margin to confirm their 6th consecutive knockout stage appearance. Spain’s squad, on paper, is one of the strongest in the tournament and once they start firing on all cylinders, there will be no stopping them.

Austria’s path to the knockouts

Austria is playing its FIFA World Cup edition since 1998 when they got knocked out from the group stages itself. Upon their return to the competition, the Europeans picked up a dominating 3-1 victory over first-timers Jordan but their fine form was halted against reigning champions Argentina who defeated them by 2-0.

Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2026: 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha asks Cape Verde supporters to rally behind the team ahead of Round of 32 clash against Argentina

In their group finale, they were almost on the verge of elimination when Riyad Mahrez netted Algeria’s 3rd goal late into stoppage time but Sasa Kalajdzic saved Austria from elimination by scoring Austria’s equalizer in the 6th minute of extra-time to send them through to the Round of 32 and set up a meeting with the reigning European champions.

The winner of this fixture will face either of Portugal or Croatia in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, July 7 at the Dallas Stadium.