World Cup Schedule, July 2: Austria Challenges European Champions Spain

The Round of 32 matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026 are slowly but surely drawing to a close!

The first Round of 16 clashes are already set, while several top nations still need to qualify. Austria aims to cause an upset.

An overview of the schedule for July 2:

Schedule, July 2 (CEST):

02:00 AM: USA - Bosnia and Herzegovina (LIVE ticker >>>)

• Two wins, one loss against the already eliminated Turkey in the inconsequential final group match - that's the current record of co-host USA.

• The USA wants to reach the Round of 16 - and improve their record in knockout matches. In the last eight knockout games at World Cups, the United States suffered seven defeats.

• The USA has problems against European opponents. Their last ten matches against European teams were all lost.

• As group third-place finishers behind Switzerland and Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina are the underdogs in this clash. So far, the team has conceded six goals; in all six matches of Bosnia's World Cup history, they have never kept a clean sheet.

09:00 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've 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 team essentially has nothing to lose - and perhaps some momentum.

• For the ÖFB, it's their first participation in a World Cup knockout round since 1954.

• The record favors Spain: In the last five matches, the Southern Europeans won four times and drew once. But: The only previous World Cup encounter went to Austria! 1978, 2:1.

Schedule, July 3 (CEST):

01:00 AM: Portugal - Croatia (LIVE ticker >>>)

• The Nations League winner entered this tournament as one of the top favorites for the title. After three matches, however, they haven't been truly convincing yet.

• Ultimately, they finished only second in their 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.

05:00 AM: Switzerland - Algeria (LIVE ticker >>>)

• The Swiss marched unbeaten through their group. Co-hosts Canada and Bosnia and 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, the spectacular 3:3 draw against Austria occurred, and they were without a chance against Argentina.

• The Swiss will likely enter this match as slight favorites, but it will probably not be a straightforward affair.

08:00 PM: Australia - Egypt (LIVE ticker >>>)

• The clash of two group runners-up at this World Cup.

• Australia beat Turkey 2:0 in their opener, then suffered a defeat against the USA. In their final match, they drew goalless with 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 beaten 3:1.

World Cup 2026: These are the Round of 32 clashes >>>