NEWS
World Cup Schedule, July 2: Austria challenges European champions Spain
The ÖFB squad meets European champions Spain in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The World Cup schedule for July 2:
The Round of 32 matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026 are slowly but surely drawing to a close!
The first Round of 16 matchups have already been determined, while several top nations still need to qualify for them. Austria aims to cause an upset.
An overview of the schedule for July 2:
Schedule, July 2 (CEST):
9:00 PM: Spain - Austria (LIVE ticker >>>)
Spain is the clear favorite in this encounter. Reigning European champions, World Cup co-favorites - and for the first time in a World Cup, they have gone through the group stage without conceding a goal. Spain has not lost in 13 consecutive matches.
After an incomparably thrilling finish in the match against Algeria, the ÖFB squad essentially has nothing left to lose - and perhaps some tailwind.
For the ÖFB, this is their first participation in a World Cup knockout round since 1954.
The record speaks for Spain: In the last five matches, the Southern Europeans won four times and secured one draw. But: The only previous World Cup encounter went to Austria! 1978, 2-1.
Schedule, July 3 (CEST):
1:00 AM: Portugal - Croatia (LIVE ticker >>>)
The Nations League winners entered this tournament as one of the top favorites for the title. However, after three matches, they haven't quite managed to convince.
Ultimately, they finished second in the group behind Colombia. Only the match against Uzbekistan was won convincingly. Against Colombia and DR Congo, they drew.
However, the 2018 World Cup runner-up is also not yet in top form. The opening match against England resulted in a clear 2-4 defeat. At least the matches against Panama and Ghana were narrowly won.
5:00 AM: Switzerland - Algeria (LIVE ticker >>>)
The Swiss marched unbeaten through their group. Co-hosts Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina were defeated, while the opening match against Qatar resulted in a surprising draw.
Algeria secured third place in the group with the ÖFB team. Jordan was defeated, there was a spectacular 3-3 draw against Austria, and they were chanceless against Argentina.
The Swiss will likely go into this match as slight favorites, but it will probably not be a straightforward affair.
8:00 PM: Australia - Egypt (LIVE ticker >>>)
The clash of two group runners-up at this World Cup.
Australia beat Turkey 2-0 in their opening match, then suffered a defeat against the USA. They concluded their group stage with a goalless draw against Paraguay, who recently knocked Germany out of the tournament.
Egypt, on the other hand, remains undefeated at this major event. They secured a point against Belgium and Iran, and New Zealand was defeated 3-1.
