Spain vs Austria – Match preview and team news

Open menu

OneFootball's home page

Settings

The Football Faithful

2 July 2026

Spain and

Austria

meet in their Round of 32 fixture on Thursday at the Los Angeles Stadium.

Spain are yet to concede a single goal at the

World Cup

and remains only one of two teams who kept a clean sheet in all of their matches till now, the other team being Mexico.

Spain faces critical squad selection decisions ahead of their high-stakes

Round of 32 knockout clash, primarily due to a double injury blow sustained in their brutal group-stage finale against Uruguay.

The

La Roja

camp confirmed that star winger Nico Williams is completely ruled out for this fixture due to a severe groin injury.

In a secondary blow to their attacking depth, forward Yeremy Pino is also sidelined after sustaining a painful shoulder injury, suspected to be a fractured collarbone.

These absences force a reshuffle upfront, with Alex Baena expected to step into the starting lineup alongside creative stars Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal.

Meanwhile, manager Luis de la Fuente faces intense tactical decisions in the centre of the pitch, where Dani Olmo and Fabián Ruiz are heavily pushing to displace Mikel Merino alongside Rodri and Pedri.

Defensively, Marcos Llorente and Pedro Porro remain locked in a tight battle for the starting right-back spot.

Austria enters this crucial knockout stage in a much more advantageous physical position, boasting a remarkably clean bill of health following their thrilling 3-3 draw against Algeria.

Manager Ralf Rangnick has no fresh injury concerns or disciplinary suspensions to worry about, allowing him to field his absolute strongest lineup.

Team captain and defensive anchor David Alaba gave fans a brief scare after experiencing minor physical discomfort, but medical staff have cleared him to lead the backline.

Similarly, veteran talisman Marko Arnautović is fully fit to start upfront as the primary striker despite taking a heavy knock to his knee during their final group match.

Rangnick’s tactical setup looks highly stable, with Xaver Schlager and Nicolas Seiwald anchoring the midfield.

Additionally,

retains immense tactical flexibility on the bench, with towering forward Saša Kalajdžić prepared to act as a potent late-game weapon to disrupt Spain’s defensive structure.

Spain enters the knockout rounds in excellent form, remaining undefeated at the 2026

bounced back from a surprising 0-0 opening draw against Cape Verde by defeating Saudi Arabia 4-0. They secured the top spot in Group H with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Uruguay. Crucially, Luis de la Fuente’s side has shown immense defensive solidity, conceding zero goals throughout the entire group stage.

Austria’s recent form has been highly erratic, defined by resilient attacking but a vulnerable backline. They opened their Group J campaign with a 3-1 win over Jordan, followed by a tough 2-0 loss to Argentina. They dramatically advanced in second place after Saša Kalajdžić scored a 96th-minute equaliser in a chaotic 3-3 draw with Algeria. While potent upfront,

has conceded six goals in three games.

Spain:

Simon; Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Merino, Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Oyarzabal, Baena

Austria:

A. Schlager; Posch, Lienhart, Alaba, Mwene; Siewald, X. Schlager; Laimer, Schmid, Sabitzer; Arnautovic

In the United Kingdom, you can watch the

Spain

Round of 32 match live and for free on BBC One.

Read Also –

Barcelona eye Arsenal forward as Alvarez alternative

See More –

Chelsea enter race for £100m-rated Bournemouth forward

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

Spain XI vs Austria: Confirmed team news, predicted lineup, injury latest for World Cup

Evening Standard

Spain vs Austria: World Cup 2026 prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results, odds

Spain vs Austria Match Preview

Hooligan Soccer

Is Spain vs Austria on TV? Channel, kick-off and how to watch World Cup last-32 clash

The Independent

PREVIEW | Spain vs Austria: team news, lineups, predictions (World Cup 02/07)

Playmakerstats

Predicting which clubs the summer's biggest free agents will sign for

There are still some massive names who are set to become free agents in the summer, with some high-profile deals due to expire at the end of next month.As speculation...

Tottenham: Why James Maddison was not awarded a penalty against Leeds as Premier League issue statement

Spurs midfielder denied a big moment on his return from injuryThe Premier League has explained why Tottenham were not awarded a penalty in their draw against Leeds.As the clock ticked...

Bento's howler delays CR7's first title in Saudi Arabia 😱

An ugly mistake by Brazilian goalkeeper Bento prevented Al-Nassr from winning the Saudi League title this Tuesday.Cristiano Ronaldo’s team was leading 1-0 until the 53rd minute of the second half,...