Spain and Austria take centre stage tonight in the latest World Cup 2026 round of 32 showdown.
La Roja headed Stateside with the favourites tag, but despite topping their group have largely underwhelmed - from a performances perspective - thus far.
That said, the European champions’ results have improved since being held to a surprise goalless draw by tournament debutants Cape Verde, beating Saudi Arabia and Uruguay 4-0 and 1-0 respectively.
Austria, meanwhile, progressed as runners-up behind reigning world champions Argentina but needed a stoppage-time equaliser against Algeria to set up a meeting with La Roja.
The winners of this tie will advance to the last-16, facing either Portugal or Croatia in Dallas.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Spain vs Austria is scheduled for a 8pm BST kick-off tonight, Thursday, July 2, 2026.
The match will take place at the Los Angeles Stadium.
Where to watch Spain vs Austria for FREE
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on BBC One, with coverage starting at 7.30pm BST.
Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via BBC iPlayer or the BBC website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Free highlights: World Cup highlights are available on FIFA’s official YouTube channel, along with BBC iPlayer / ITVX app and their websites.
Spain vs Austria team news
Nico Williams is yet to start for Spain at the World Cup and he will not feature in the round of 32 showdown against Austria after picking up a fresh injury in the win over Uruguay.
Captain Rodri is reportedly set to undergo surgery following the tournament, but should be fine to start here. Lamine Yamal is expected to carry the main attacking threat, while Pedro Porro and Fabian Ruiz will hope for recalls.
Austria have concerns over, arguably, their two most high-profile players as captain David Alaba and veteran striker Marko Arnautovic both picked up knocks against Algeria.
As such, they are facing a race against the clock to prove their fitness.
Spain squad
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, David Raya, Joan Garcia
Defenders: Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, Pedro Porro, Aymeric Laporte, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo
Midfielders: Rodri, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Pedri, Gavi, Fabian Ruiz, Alex Baen
Forwards: Yeremy Pino, Victor Munoz, Mikel Oyarzabal, Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Borja Iglesias.
Austria squad
Goalkeepers: Alexander Schlager, Florian Wiegele, Patrick Pentz
Defenders: David Affengruber, Kevin Danso, Stefan Posch, David Alaba, Philipp Lienhart, Phillipp Mwene, Alexander Prass, Marco Friedel, Michael Svoboda
Midfielders: Xaver Schlager, Nicolas Seiwald, Marcel Sabitzer, Florian Grillitsch, Carney Chukwuemeka, Romano Schmid, Christoph Baumgartner, Konrad Laimer, Patrick Wimmer, Paul Wanner, Alessandro Schopf
Forwards: Marko Arnautovic, Michael Gregoritsch, Sasa Kalajdzic
Spain vs Austria prediction
Spain do not have a great record in World Cup knockout games, particularly since their triumph in 2010. So far this summer, they’ve not been at their best but still getting results and that’s all that matters in tournament football.
Expect Austria to put up a good fight but ultimately quality will tell and La Roja should get the win.
Spain to win, 2-0.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Spain wins: 9
Austria wins: 4
Draws: 3
Spain vs Austria match odds
Odds via betting sites UK (subject to change).
