ENGLEWOOD, Calif. — Southern California was all Spanish.
The 2026 World Cup favorites did their part inside SoFi Stadium on Thursday, July 2, defeating Austria 3-0 in the Round of 32 to advance to the finals.
Spain controlled the match from the kick-off, and Austria did everything in their power to stop them. This was an undeniable result. After several chances, Mikel Oyarzabal put La Roja through with a goal in the 36th minute, and Pedro Polo added another in the 66th minute. Oyarzabal scored again just before the 90th minute, capping off a perfect day for the Spaniard.
Spain’s defense once again cornered their opponents without conceding a goal, but they have yet to concede a goal in this tournament. They will return to the last 16 for the third consecutive tournament and will await the winners of Portugal and Croatia.
Spain vs Austria highlights
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Spain 3-0 Austria.
This will give Spain a ticket to the last 16.
Spain is using soccer’s version of garbage time. In the third minute of stoppage time, Marc Poubil replaced Aymeric Laporte and Fabian Ruiz replaced Pedri.
Mikel Oyarzabal found the back of the net again to make it 3-0, a perfect finish to the day for Spain.
This was Oyarzabal’s second goal of the day and his fourth in the tournament.
Lamine Yamal’s day is over. Spain’s young superstar was sent off in the 85th minute and replaced by Gabi.
Spain will be looking for more goals and almost got a perfect cap for the contest from Lamine Yamal. His left-footed shot looked like it could be on target, but Austrian captain David Alaba was in the right position at the right time to stop the shot before it could crack the line as the Spanish star was denied again.
With 10 minutes left until stoppage time, Austria was desperately trying to close the gap. I haven’t taken a shot on goal yet.
The round of 32 matches are sold out.
Spain will bring on Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino in place of Alex Baena and Dani Olmo after a rehydration break.
Another member has joined the Spanish national team! Alex Baena received the ball in the box and sent a perfect pass to the running Pedro Polo, who headed it straight into the goal, extending Spain’s lead with their second goal of the day.
Austria won easily and the match almost became 1-1. Sasa Kalajdzic came on and immediately headed home, but this went just over the crossbar and was the first real threat Spain faced.
Austria made two more substitutions in the 60th minute. Michael Gregoritsch came on as a substitute, with Marko Arnautovic and Romano Schmid replacing Saya Kalajdzic.
Although there weren’t many shots until the start of the second half, Spain still took control with a one-point lead. Rodri’s best look yet came when his 25-yard shot was parried away by Austria.
Austria made two substitutions for the start of the second half. Xaver Schlager came on as a substitute, with Florian Grillitsch replacing him and Carny Chukwuemeka replacing Nicolas Seiwald.
The second half started with Austria in possession of the ball.
It feels like it’s 5-0, but Spain is only one point behind after a first half dominated by La Roja. They had possession of the ball approximately 64% of the time and took a whopping 11 shots, six of which were on goal. Austria had two shots, but they didn’t look clean. Although he got off to a bad start, he was able to tie the score with one more hit.
Spain looks to be in top form with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring and Lamine Yamal coming close to extending their lead.
Austria avoided a disastrous end to the first half due to narrow mistakes from two of Spain’s great players. The first goal came from Alex Baena’s free kick, which hit the crossbar.
A few seconds later, the ball landed right in front of Lamine Yamal, creating a golden opportunity. However, Alexander Schlager somehow refused to shoot, leaving Spain wondering why he didn’t score again.
There were 4 minutes remaining as Spain looked to add another point before half-time.
Spain is finally joining the fight! Another threat has finally succeeded, with leading scorer Mikel Oyarzabal the man behind it. Receiving a perfect pass from Marc Cucurella, Oyarzabal effortlessly threaded the ball through to give Spain a 1-0 lead.
This was Oyarzabal’s third goal of the tournament.
Spain is stepping on the gas, but Austria is barely holding on. Mikel Oyarzabal somehow managed to get a shot just within reach of Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. A few minutes later, Lamine Yamal stood alone in front of the goalkeeper, and his shot went just over the crossbar, and he looked in disbelief at his mistake.
Spain looked to finally have a breakthrough when Marc Cucurella’s header found the back of the net, but referee Glenn Nyberg waved it away as the celebrations began.
Replays showed that Spain had caused goalkeeper interference, and after a replay assist confirmed it, the score was canceled and remained 0-0, much to Spain’s displeasure.
After the first quarter of the game, the game remained scoreless, with Spain still looking for the first goal. Austria played most of the match defensively.
The stars are out early.
James Corden, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Jaden Daniels were among the notable names representing Spain and Austria. Cruz and Bardem are Spanish, but Daniels grew up in the area. Corden, of course, is participating in Fox’s tournament coverage and hosts the “After Hours” show.
The first 10 minutes of the game were all about Spain, with the ball spending most of its time on the Austrian side of the field. Spain has already attempted three shots and is attracting attention.
The Spanish star already seemed to be in the flow, taking the ball close to the length of the field with his first shot of the match. This went straight to Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, but Spain had already created a chance.
We start the day with the ball, starting from the SoFi Stadium as the Spanish national team.
The matchup kicks off at 3:00 PM ET.
The Round of 32 matches will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Seth Terny: Spain 1-0 Austria
Big questions remain about this Spanish team after the group stage, but the quality is too high for an Austrian team that can still put up a decent fight.
john arnold: Spain 2-0 Austria
Despite struggling in the group stage, Spain are starting to improve against the Austrian team. Despite scoring three goals in the previous game, the Austrian team has been unable to mount a serious attack, showing that they struggle against teams that can pass.
Jesse Yomtov: Spain 1-0 Austria
Spain hasn’t had a surprisingly good record this tournament, but it doesn’t matter as long as they win and advance.
victoria hernandez: Spain 2-0 Austria
Spain are on the back foot, but the tournament is shaping up to be a win-or-go-home scenario, so Spain steps up to the occasion.
Yes, Yamal will start in the round of 32 match.
Spain’s young star Yamal will start.
- Unai Simon (goalkeeper), Pedro Polo, Pau Kvarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella, Rodrigo, Olmo, Pedri, Rayme Yamal, Alex Baena, Oyarzabal
2026 World Cup Team Complete Roster
- Referee: Glenn Nyberg
- Assistant referee: Mahbod Beygi, Andreas Soderqvist
- Fourth person involved: Dahane Bayda
- Reserve assistant referee: Elvis Knoop
Spain won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the country’s first and only championship.
Spain’s Lamine Yamal is 18 years old and will turn 19 on July 13th.
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said preventing the Spanish winger from unleashing his talent will be one of his team’s top priorities heading into the World Cup’s last 32. Spain eased the 18-year-old’s playing time after tearing his hamstring in April, limiting him to 141 minutes in three group games, during which he scored one goal.
“Lamine Yamal is a great player and will be playing for the next 12, 13, 14 years, maybe even longer,” Rangnick told reporters on Wednesday. “If he stays healthy and keeps his shoulders straight, he’ll be able to play a lot of games.
“He’s one of the players we’ll be watching very closely tomorrow. Don’t give him too much room or chance to start dribbling. He’s a player that any football fan anywhere loves to watch. But our challenge tomorrow is to not let him have the ball as much as possible.”
– Reuters
The Spain vs. Austria match kicks off at 12:00 PM PT.
The winner of the Round of 32 will advance to the Round of 16 to face the winner of Portugal and Croatia on July 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. That match will be played later in the day.
Austrian captain David Alaba, who spent five seasons with Real Madrid, said the team is well aware of the quality Spain has at its disposal.
“They play very attractive football. They have great quality and individual players who can make a difference,” Alaba said. “But we don’t want to hide. We really want to play positive and aim for success.”
– Reuters
Austria have scored six goals in their three group stage matches, one more than Spain, but coach Ralf Rangnick admitted his team needs to raise its level against a team that is unbeaten in 34 games until March 2023.
– Reuters
It was the first World Cup since 1998 and Austria’s first appearance in the final tournament since 1978. His best result was 3rd place in 1954. In 1934 Austria was in fourth place.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said it was no surprise that Spanish fans were not too impressed.
“It would be strange if they didn’t ask us for anything,” de la Fuente said through an interpreter. “But we are very demanding of ourselves. We like to compete. We are sportsmen and we love to improve every day.”
– Reuters
Spain’s uniforms are the norm inside the stadium, so it feels like a home game for Spain. Some Austrian fans are making a fuss, but it looks like La Roja is taking over.
Spain have kept clean sheets so far, but have yet to concede a goal in this tournament. They join Mexico as the only team without a goal so far.
Explore USA TODAY Sports’ latest brackets here.
