Spain Secures Spot in FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16

Spain Triumphs Over Austria

Los Angeles, July 3: Spain has successfully moved on to the Round of 16 in the FIFA World Cup 2026, thanks to two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and a debut goal from Pedro Porro, leading to a decisive win against Austria.

This victory marks Spain's first advancement in the knockout stages of the World Cup since their 2010 win in South Africa. They will face the winner of the Portugal versus Croatia match in Dallas on July 7.

Lamine Yamal initiated the action with a shot on goal just one minute into the match, and Spain's offensive pressure increased as the first half continued. Marc Cucurella thought he had scored from a corner, but the goal was ruled out due to a foul on goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.

Oyarzabal finally broke the stalemate in the 36th minute, receiving a low cross from Cucurella and firing a first-time shot into the net for his third goal of the tournament, according to FIFA reports.

Spain nearly extended their lead before halftime when Alex Baena's free-kick hit the crossbar, and Yamal forced another save from Schlager shortly after.

Austria struggled to create opportunities, with Michael Gregoritsch missing a chance from a Marcel Sabitzer cross while substitute Sasa Kalajdzic failed to direct his header on target shortly after coming on.

Spain's second goal came from a header, with Baena delivering a cross that Pedro Porro converted. After David Alaba blocked a shot from Yamal on the line, Oyarzabal scored again, sliding in from another Cucurella assist.

Unai Simon achieved his fifth consecutive clean sheet in World Cup matches, equaling Walter Zenga's record set in 1990. Simon has now gone 519 minutes without conceding a goal in World Cup play, surpassing Zenga's previous record of 517 minutes.