Spain Beat Austria to Reach World Cup Round of 16

Dragon Media Correspondent
Kathmandu

Title contenders Spain have advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Spain defeated Austria 3–0 in their Round of 32 match played in Los Angeles, United States, on Friday morning.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice and Pedro Porro added another goal to secure Spain’s comfortable victory.

Spain dominated from the start and maintained constant pressure on Austria’s defensive setup. Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 36th minute, converting a pass from Marc Cucurella.

Porro doubled Spain’s lead with a header in the 66th minute. He made an overlapping run before connecting with an excellent cross and directing the ball into the net.

With one minute remaining in regulation time, Oyarzabal scored his second goal of the match to seal a 3–0 victory. He once again finished from a well-delivered pass by Cucurella.

It was the first time Spain had scored three goals in a World Cup knockout match since defeating Switzerland 3–0 at the 1994 tournament, also held in the United States.

Spain also registered their first World Cup knockout-stage victory since winning the tournament in 2010.

Having yet to concede a goal in the competition, Spain will face the winner of the match between Portugal and Croatia for a place in the quarterfinals.