Spain vs Austria | FIFA World Cup 2026- Round of 32 | Preview and Predictions

With the Round of 32 games serving up one classic game after another, the hope is that the same trend continues as Spain will lock horns with Austria in what will be a fascinating clash between two sides who like playing their football on the front foot and will look to seal their place in the Round of 16 with a victory here.

Here is our Preview and Predictions for the game.

FIFA WC26 | RO32: ESP vs AUT | 00:30 IST, 03 July, 2026

Spain have had a rather confusing tournament for their standards so far. While the 4-0 win against Saudi Arabia showed how they can be a force to be reckoned with when they are on song, the games against Cabo Verde and Uruguay painted an altogether different story.

Against Cabo Verde, they failed to open up what was a low block by their opponents and also lacked the urgency and the tempo to make things happen, which gave plenty of time for the Cabo Verde defenders to get back into their shape. There was also a noticeable sense of passivity when they had the ball, with a lot of sideways passing which once again did little to create any worthwhile opportunities.

Against Uruguay as well, it was them who were the more attacking side and took more of an initiative to take the attack to Spain rather than the other way round. Yet somehow, The 2024 Euro champions found a way to prevail in the contest and top the group.

Part of that has to do with the lack of minutes for star winger Lamine Yamal, with the 18-year-old still finding his way back to both fitness and form after missing some part due to a hamstring injury. While he has shown flashes of his quality in the time that he has spent on the pitch, Spain will need more from him if they have to make a deep run in this World Cup.

Austria have qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time since 1954 and they will be looking to cause one of the biggest upsets in the tournament so far to show how far they have now come as a footballing nation.

They were on the verge of elimination against Algeria when they conceded a goal deep into stoppage time to go 3-2 down, but then equalised with what was virtually the last kick of the game to ensure that they qualified for the knockouts in one of the most chaotic games this World Cup.

Austria have no injury problems to deal with as everyone is available for selection, while Spain will be without Nico Williams who is out with a groin injury, and Yeremy Pino, who has been ruled out of the World Cup with what is being said to be a fracture to the collarbone.

We believe that Spain will start as favourites despite the injury issues and qualify for the Round of 16, where they will face either Portugal or Croatia.

Score Predictions: Spain 3-1 Austria

Venue: Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood.