Spain booked their place in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a dominant 3-0 victory over Austria at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with Mikel Oyarzabal netting twice and Pedro Porro adding a third to end the Austrians' tournament.

Oyarzabal leads the charge

The European champions had an early goal from Marc Cucurella controversially ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper, but the setback proved brief. Oyarzabal broke the deadlock in the 37th minute, slotting home to give Luis de la Fuente's side a deserved lead heading into half-time.

Austria head coach Ralf Rangnick turned to Sasa Kalajdzic — the stoppage-time hero whose header had knocked Algeria out in the previous round — hoping for another moment of magic. The tall striker came agonisingly close but headed over the bar from close range in the 61st minute.

Porro and Oyarzabal kill the contest

Any Austrian belief was extinguished five minutes later when Porro nodded in from Baena's cross to make it 2-0. Oyarzabal then wrapped up a convincing win in the 89th minute, converting Cucurella's centre to complete his brace and send a statement to the rest of the tournament's contenders.

Spain's group-stage campaign raised some eyebrows — their draw with Cape Verde was widely noted — yet De la Fuente's side have not conceded a single goal throughout this World Cup. More strikingly, they are now 34 competitive international matches unbeaten inside 90 minutes, a remarkable run of resilience.

Yamal waiting to explode

Lamine Yamal offered glimpses of his extraordinary talent on the right flank, and the sense is that Spain have yet to shift into their highest gear. With a watertight defensive record and a squad brimming with attacking quality, they will be a formidable opponent for whoever emerges from the Portugal versus Croatia tie in the last 16.