Spain, Portugal and Switzerland Advance to World Cup Round of 16

Spain, Portugal and Switzerland all booked their places in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after winning their Round of 32 matches on Thursday, 2 July.

The three European nations progressed after convincing performances, with Spain producing the biggest victory of the night and Portugal leaving it late to edge past Croatia.

Spain cruise past Austria

Spain delivered one of their most complete performances of the tournament with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Austria in Los Angeles.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice to lead the attack, while Pedro Porro added a header to complete the scoring as Spain dominated from start to finish.

The result sends Spain into the Round of 16 full of confidence as they prepare for one of the biggest matches of the knockout stage.

Portugal leave it late

Portugal secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia thanks to a stoppage-time winner.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring from the penalty spot, registering his first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout-stage goal.

Croatia fought back to level the match before Gonçalo Ramos headed home a dramatic winner in the 94th minute to send Portugal through.

Switzerland too strong for Algeria

Switzerland completed the night’s action with a 2-0 victory over Algeria in Vancouver.

Breel Embolo gave the Swiss an early advantage before Dan Ndoye wrapped up the win with a second-half goal to secure their place in the Round of 16.

Thursday’s results

• Spain 3-0 Austria
• Portugal 2-1 Croatia
• Switzerland 2-0 Algeria

Round of 16 clash confirmed

The standout fixture of the next round will see Spain take on Portugal in a heavyweight European showdown on Monday, 6 July, in Dallas.

Switzerland will face the winner of the upcoming Round of 32 match between Colombia and Ghana.

With the knockout stages gathering momentum, the race to lift the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy continues to intensify.

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