Spain Crushes Austria To Advance To World Cup Round Of 16
Spain advanced to the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 by crushing Austria 3-0 on July 3rd at SoFi Stadium, with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Álex Balde. The dominant Group H champions will next face either Portugal or Croatia.
Spain advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 3rd at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles with a dominant performance against Austria. Spain, the Group H champions, faced Austria, the Group J runners-up, in what turned out to be a one-sided affair.
Coach Luis de la Fuente deployed Spain's familiar 4-2-3-1 formation with a starting lineup including goalkeeper Unai Simón, defenders Pedri Porro, Pau Cubarsí, and Ayoze Perez, midfielders Rodri and Pedri, and forwards Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Álex Balde, and Mikel Oyarzabal. Austria's coach Ralf Rangnick also opted for a 4-2-3-1 setup.
In the first half, despite Spain's dominance in possession and chances, they struggled to finish, though Austria also posed some threatening counter-attacks. In the 36th minute, Mikel Oyarzabal broke the deadlock, giving Spain a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Spain continued their attacking momentum in the second half. In the 66th minute, Álex Balde set up Pedro Porro, who finished clinically in the box to make it 2-0. The victory was sealed in the 89th minute when Oyarzabal scored again, giving Spain a 3-0 demolition of Austria and a place in the Round of 16.
Spain will face the winner of the Portugal versus Croatia match on July 7th at AT&T Stadium in Texas for the next round.
