Former world champions Spain take on Austria in a round-of-32 clash in the 2026 World Cup at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Thursday. Spain finished top of Group H with a 1-0 win over Uruguay on Saturday,

Spain's Group H title created a bizarre World Cup scenario where both Austria and Algeria may benefit from not winning their final group stage match.

Cape Verde finished the group stage undefeated with three draws, and became the smallest nation to earn a spot in the knockout round.

When two former World Cup champions clashed, AP photojournalist Ricardo Mazalan expected the Spain-Uruguay to be an intense, hard-fought contest — especially with Uruguay trying to avoid elimination.

World Cup 2026 odds for Portugal, Germany, Mexico, USA, France, Canada, Spain, Brazil, England, Argentina, Netherlands, Belgium, others to win event.

Spain attacking midfielder Alex Baena was the hero of his side's hard-fought 1-0 win over Uruguay on Saturday, which secured qualification for the World Cup round of 32 as Group H winner, but in an interview with Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo,