Spain finally wakes up to roll past Austria and into World Cup Round of 16

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Spain finally looked like the tournament favorite it’s supposed to be on Thursday. 

The reigning European champions fired their way into the Round of 16 with a 3-0 win over Austria that seemed easier than an afternoon siesta.

La Roja lagged their way through the group stage with a shocking draw against Congo and an underwhelming win against Uruguay.

Thursday was more like the Spain everyone expected coming into the tournament: dominant in possession, methodically breaking down Austria and never looking anything less than comfortable against a visibly inferior opponent.

Spain’s defender Pedro Porro celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between Spain and Austria at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on July 2, 2026. AFP via Getty Images

Mikel Oyarzabal set Spain out to a 1-0 lead after 36 minutes, passing the ball into the net from Marc Cucurella’s cross, but it could have been anyone after a post-hydration break stretch in which the Spanish probed Alexander Schlager’s goal for about 10 minutes before finally breaking through.

Pedro Porro’s 66th-minute header — the right back was allowed to arrive completely undefended into the box with Alex Baena taking up Austria’s attention — made it 2-0, and from there, it was a matter of seeing the game out.

Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain celebrates with Gavi after scoring his team’s third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between Spain and Austria at Los Angeles Stadium on July 2, 2026 in Inglewood, California. FIFA via Getty Images

For good measure, though, Spain added a third anyway on Cucurella’s ball to Oyarzabal that cut through Austria’s defense beautifully, setting the latter up for a simple finish.

After France and Argentina have churned through opposition with such ease, this was the first time any other contender’s performance has looked on a level with either 2022 finalist.

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Three weeks into the competition, it looked like Spain has finally welcomed itself into the World Cup.