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Who: Spain vs Austria
Content: 2026 FIFA World Cup – Round 32
Location: Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
Date and time: Thursday, July 2nd, noon (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 16:00 GMT before the live text commentary stream.
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After entering the World Cup as one of the favorites to win, Spain had a relatively modest start to the tournament.
There was a shocking 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, but then Saudi Arabia suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat and won a war of attrition against Uruguay.
But Spain coach Luis de la Fuente insisted his side are on an upward curve and are exactly where they want to be heading into the business end of the tournament.
“This team is used to breaking records and overcoming tough situations. We are determined to keep moving forward,” coach de la Fuente said Wednesday.
Austria, led by Ralf Rangnick, finished runners-up in Group J and advanced to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1954.
Austria have scored six goals in their three group stage matches, one more than Spain, but Rangnick acknowledged that they need to raise their level against a team that is unbeaten in 34 games until March 2023.
“We all know that we have to be better tomorrow, and that was obvious against Spain,” Rangnick said. “We need to go one step further.”
The winner will face either Portugal or Croatia in the last 16.
La Roja ready to raise the bar against Austria
Coach de la Fuente told reporters he expected his team’s performance to improve after a weak start to the World Cup.
“What I’m seeing this week is the team is starting to realize what needs to be fixed,” the coach said.
De la Fuente dismissed concerns from Spanish supporters about the high expectations placed on the team despite the team’s early exit from the World Cup after their 2010 victory.
“We love being asked of it, because a lot is expected of us and all we have to do is live up to those expectations,” de la Fuente said.
Mr. Rangnick says he will stop Ramin Yamal’s lock.
Rangnick said soccer fans around the world love to watch Lamine Yamal play, but preventing the Spanish winger from unleashing his talent will be one of his team’s top priorities in Thursday’s World Cup Round of 32.
Spain eased the return of the 18-year-old after tearing his hamstring in April, limiting him to 141 minutes in three group games, during which he scored one goal, but now says he is ready to play as much as necessary.
“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 head on his shoulders, he’ll be able to play a lot of games.
“He’s one of the players we’ll be watching very closely tomorrow and we need to make sure we don’t give him too much space or opportunity to start his dribbling action.
“He is a player that all football fans love to watch, no matter where they come from. But our challenge tomorrow is to keep him from having the ball as much as possible.”
How did Spain and Austria reach the last 32?
Spain won Group H with seven points. Here is the resulting list:
Austria finished second in Group J with four points. Here is the resulting list:
Spain vs Austria prediction
Opta’s supercomputer calculated that Spain had a 70.6% chance of winning the match in regulation time, while Austria had a 12.2% chance of winning.
The probability of the game going to overtime is 17.3%.
Spain vs Austria: kick-off time, TV channels
Spain: DAZN Mundial (9pm CET) Austria: ServusTV, ServusTV On (9pm CET) UK: BBC One, BBC iPlayer (8pm BST) US: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (3pm EDT)
To see the TV listings for your country, visit the FIFA TV listings schedule here.
Who will the winner face in the round of 16?
The winner of Spain vs. Austria will face either Portugal or Croatia in the last 16.
Spain vs Austria: head-to-head
Spain remains unbeaten in their last five matches against Austria (4 wins, 1 loss), winning the last two matches by four goals.
The last matchup between the two dates back to 2009. That time Spain defeated Austria 5-1. At that time, young David Alaba made a strong impression with a 25-minute cameo off the bench.
But Spain will be wary of their Austrian opponents, whom they lost 2-1 in the last World Cup competition in 1978.
Spain vs Austria: Team news
On the Spanish national team, Yeremi Pino (collarbone) and Nico Williams (hamstring) are out with injuries, while Víctor Muñoz (muscle) is doubtful.
There were no injuries or suspensions at the Austrian camp.
Expected lineup of Spain national team
(4-3-3): Simon (goalkeeper); Llorente, Kvarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri, Luiz. Yamal, Oyarzabal, Baena
Austria’s expected lineup
(4-2-3-1): Schlager (goalie). Posh, Leanhart, Alaba, Mwene. Seiwald, Schlager. Reimer, Sabitzer, Schmidt. Arnautovic
