The Spain World Cup 2026 squad look to have several gears they can still go up after a mixed group campaign but now is the time to find them as they face a well-organised Austria side in the last 32. The reigning European champions and 2010 world champions were pre-tournament favourites but have slipped behind France and Argentina in the betting markets after making a sluggish start to the finals.
They still managed to top Group H and have yet to concede a goal, but it was by no means plain sailing for Luis de la Fuente’s men and they will need to pose more of an attacking threat now.
Austria enjoyed an impressive qualifying campaign under the 68-year-old Ralf Rangnick, dropping only five points and conceding just four goals as they reached the World Cup for the first time since 1998. At the finals they secured passage to the last 32 after finishing second behind Argentina , but we think this will be the end of the line for the 1954 semi-finalists.
Our opening Spain vs Austria prediction is for the Iberian nation to qualify in normal time @ 1/3.
Betting Odds
Spain vs Austria Betting Odds – 2026 World Cup Round of 32
Result | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Spain | 3/10 | 76.9% |
Austria | 9/1 | 10% |
Draw | 15/4 | 21.1% |
*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.
Spain are 3/10 favourites to beat Austria , who are 9/1 for the win, with the draw at 15/4.
How to watch Spain vs Austria
The World Cup round of 32 match is scheduled to begin at 20:00 BST on Thursday and will be shown live on BBC1.
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Predicted Starting XIs
Predicted Lineups
Spain Predicted XI
Austria Predicted Lineup
Form Guides
Spain form guide
Spain fully deserved their tag as World Cup favourites coming into the tournament. During a run of 30 matches heading into the finals, they tasted defeat only once - on penalties to Portugal in the 2025 Nations League final - while they counted France , England , Italy , Germany and the Netherlands among their victims.
No side has managed to find a way to beat the Spain World Cup team so far this summer either, but a shock goalless draw with Cape Verde in their opening match showed La Roja are fallible. They responded with a 4-0 drubbing of Saudi Arabia but then struggled again in creating chances against a physical Uruguay side, with a goalkeeping error proving the only difference in a 1-0 win.
Neither Spain nor Austria tend to concede too many goals so the Spanish - who have kept 10 clean sheets in their last 13 games - to win with under 3.5 goals in total @ 20/21 is added to our World Cup tips today.
Austria form guide
Austria picked up four points as they pipped Algeria to runners-up spot behind all-conquering Argentina in Group J . Results have largely gone as expected so far for the Europeans, beating Jordan 3-1, losing 2-0 to Argentina and drawing 3-3 with Algeria , but the amount of late goals has kept things interesting.
Of the 12 goals scored in their three matches, nine have arrived after the 45th minute with four of them coming in stoppage time at the end of the game. With that in mind, under 1.5 first-half goals @ 1/2 is added to our World Cup tips today .
We also like the look of Spain to win after drawing at half-time @ 14/5.
Betting Tips
Spain vs Austria Betting Tips – World Cup Round of 32
Spain to qualify in normal time @ 1/3
Spain to win & under 3.5 goals @ 20/21
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