Spain booked their place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a commanding 3-0 victory over Austria at Los Angeles, ending a 16-year wait for a knockout-stage win at the tournament. A brace from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro's maiden international goal sealed an impressive performance from the European champions.
La Roja, who last won a World Cup knockout match on their way to lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010, will now face the winners of the Portugal vs Croatia clash in Dallas on 6 July.
Spain made an aggressive start, with Lamine Yamal testing Austria inside the opening minute. The pressure continued to mount, and Marc Cucurella briefly thought he had opened the scoring from a corner, only for the effort to be ruled out after a foul on goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 36th minute. Cucurella delivered a low cross from the left, and Mikel Oyarzabal met it first time to guide his finish into the far corner for his third goal of the tournament.
Spain nearly doubled their advantage before half-time as Alex Baena rattled the crossbar with a well-struck free-kick, while Yamal forced another smart save from Schlager following the rebound.
In the second half, Baena floated in a precise cross from the left, and Pedro Porro timed his run perfectly to power home a header for his first senior international goal, doubling Spain's lead.
Yamal continued to torment Austria's defence and was denied by a goal-line clearance from David Alaba before Spain added a deserved third. Once again, Cucurella turned provider, delivering another dangerous cross that Oyarzabal converted with a composed sliding finish to complete his brace.
The comprehensive victory underlined Spain's dominance throughout the contest and secured their passage into the last 16, where they will look to continue their impressive World Cup campaign.
