Spain Confident Ahead of World Cup Round of 32 Clash Against Austria

Spain enters the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match against Austria with optimism after topping their group without conceding a goal. The Spanish team secured seven points from nine possible in the group stage and remains one of only two teams, alongside Mexico, to keep a clean sheet so far. However, Spain will miss Nico Williams, who suffered another injury in the match against Uruguay and is unlikely to return before the quarterfinals, if at all. Meanwhile, Jeremy Pino and Victor Munoz have trained and may be included in the squad.

Spain aims to win a knockout match at the World Cup for the first time since their 2010 victory in South Africa, having been eliminated in the round of 16 in both 2018 and 2022. Austria, on the other hand, will appear in a World Cup knockout game for the first time since 1954, having only reached the second group stage in 1978 and 1982 without advancing further in recent decades.

Spain has faced criticism for their slower playing style compared to Euro 2024, but Alex Baña, who scored the winning goal against Uruguay, dismissed the concerns. He emphasized the team's confidence and ambition, stating, "We came here to win the World Cup, and I think we have a team capable of doing that. It's even nice to see that everyone wants to beat you."

Coach Luis de la Fuente is unlikely to make major changes to the starting lineup, possibly only adding Dani Olmo to midfield. Austria will be without Patrick Wöber, with Konrad Laimer expected to play left-back tasked with marking Spain’s left-back, Lamin Yamal.