(moroccoworldnews)- Spain faces Austria in a highly anticipated Round of 32 clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a coveted spot in the Round of 16 on the line at the Los Angeles Stadium.
La Roja marched into the knockout stages by securing the top spot in Group H. After an opening goalless draw against Cape Verde, Luis de la Fuente’s side found their rhythm with a 4-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia before grinding out a 1-0 victory over Uruguay. Yet to concede a single goal in the tournament, the reigning European champions enter this match as heavy favorites to continue their journey toward global dominance.
Austria, meanwhile, advanced to the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time since 1982 after a dramatic journey in Group J. A 3-1 win over Jordan and a 2-0 defeat to Argentina set up a chaotic finale against Algeria, where Sasa Kalajdzic scored a legendary 96th-minute equalizer to secure a 3-3 draw. Despite looking vulnerable at the back, Das Team has shown great resilience and has little to lose against one of the tournament’s favorites.
With a definitive Round of 16 ticket against either Portugal or Croatia waiting for the victor, both managers have named tactical lineups engineered to seize control of this single-elimination tie.
Teams’ starting XI:
Spain
- Goalkeeper: Unai Simón
- Defenders: Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella
- Midfielders: Rodri, Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Dani Olmo.
- Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Álex Baena
Austria
- Goalkeeper: Alexander Schlager
- Defenders: Stefan Posch, David Alaba, Kevin Danso, Konard Laimer.
- Midfielders: Xaver Schlager, N. Seiwald, Paul Wanner.
- Forwards: Roman Schmid, Michael Gregoritsh, Marcel Sabitzer.
