KLIK SAJA - Spain and Austria will battle for a place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they meet at SoFi Stadium on Thursday evening, with either Portugal or Croatia awaiting the winner.
The reigning European champions topped Group H to secure their place in the knockout rounds, while Austria finished second in Group J behind defending world champions Argentina.
Tipped by many bookmakers to comfortably win Group H before the tournament began, Spain lived up to expectations despite opening their campaign with a draw against Cape Verde. La Roja collected seven points from three matches without conceding a single goal.
Luis de la Fuente's side confirmed their place in the knockout stage with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay in their final group fixture. Alex Baena scored the decisive goal, but it was Spain's rock-solid defense that once again stole the spotlight.
Spain have yet to concede a goal at the 2026 World Cup, and remarkably, none of their opponents have managed a shot on target during the first half of any match.
Furthermore, La Roja have not faced more than six shots in any of their last five World Cup games, a feat achieved only once before since 1966 by Argentina during their victorious 2022 campaign.
Spain's unbeaten run has now stretched to 34 matches across all competitions, excluding penalty shootout defeats.
They are just one game away from equaling their national record of 35 unbeaten matches, set between 2007 and 2009, while also edging closer to the all-time international record.
Italy still hold the longest unbeaten streak in men's international football with 37 matches during their UEFA Euro 2020 triumph.
However, Spain are heavily favored to move one step closer to that milestone by overcoming Austria.
Austria, meanwhile, had to fight until the very last moments to secure their place in the knockout rounds.
Ralf Rangnick's side played out a thrilling 3-3 draw against Algeria in their final Group J encounter.
Had Riyad Mahrez's brace earned Algeria all three points, Austria would have been eliminated on goal difference behind Senegal.
Instead, towering striker Sasa Kalajdzic rescued his side with a dramatic 96th-minute header, keeping Austria's World Cup dream alive.