Spain are favorites to beat fellow European outfit Austria in their 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 knockout fixture on Thursday night in California.
La Roja come into the game unbeaten in the tournament so far, following up their barren draw against Cape Verde with successive wins against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. They finished top of Group H with seven points.
Austria finished second in Group J behind 2022 World Cup winners Argentina to qualify for the knockout round for the first time in over 70 years. A 3-1 win against Jordan and a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Algeria were enough to book their place in the inaugural round of 32.
One-time World Cup winners Spain have lost both of their last two knockout games in the competition since winning the 2010 final in South Africa.
Austria have featured in five knockout games at the World Cup before, but this will be their first one since 1954.
Luis de la Fuente’s Spain have still not conceded a goal in the tournament, showing that they can be as resolute at the back as well as being able to score goals. This will worry an Austrian side who have not kept a clean sheet at the World Cup since 1982.
The winner of this match will set up a round of 16 clash against either Portugal or Croatia, who will battle it out later in the night.
Will Spain continue their resilient run to get past Austria here, or can we expect an upset in the knockout match? We have a look at both teams and offer our predicted outcome.
What time does Spain vs Austria start?
The match kicks off at 10PM E.A.T at the SoFi Stadium
Spain vs Austria team news
Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino are the latest injury concerns for Spain after suffering injuries in their final group game. The latter is unlikely to feature again in the tournament.
De la Fuente is expected to field his strongest available XI, with Mikel Oyarzabal emerging as the surprise focal point of the Spanish attack. The Real Sociedad forward has had a hand in three of their five goals in the tournament.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal has also been instrumental and will start here for a third consecutive game after coming off the bench in the opening match.
The rest of the side will remain unchanged with Unai Simon in goal, while Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte being the key figures at the heart of the defense.
As for Austria, Michael Gregoritsch will continue to lead the attacking line, supported by Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer on the flanks.
Sasa Kalajdzic scored the late goal against Algeria to book their spot in the round of 32 but is unlikely to start. The LASK forward is expected to feature from the bench just as he has in the last two games.
Spain vs Austria head-to-head and current form
La Roja are unbeaten in their last 13 matches, and this will definitely be a huge confidence boost ahead of kickoff. They have won nine and drawn four of them in that run.
Spain are yet to concede a goal in the tournament and have scored 22 goals against Austria in the previous five matches between the two nations.
Austria have only lost once in their last five games, but are without a win in their last two matches. They have already let in five goals in the tournament and will need a solution against a free-scoring Spanish outfit.
Current form:
Spain – WWDWD
Austria – DLWWW
Spain vs Austria previous games
- Austria 1-5 Spain (November 18, 2009)
- Spain 4-0 Austria (September 1, 2001)
- Austria 1-1 Spain (October 11, 2000)
- Austria 1-3 Spain (September 4, 1999)
- Spain 9-0 Austria (March 27, 1999)
Spain vs Austria prediction
Despite Spain being favorites to win here, a knockout game can be a little unpredictable. After seeing heavyweights Germany and Netherlands knocked out, this is not expected to be a walk in the park for them.
They still have not conceded a goal, and their defensive prowess could be a key factor for victory here.
Prediction – Spain to win – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!