Los Angeles, July 2 -- Spain produced their most commanding display of the tournament so far, beating Austria 3-0 at SoFi Stadium to reach the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.

Before defeating Austria in the 2026 Round of 32, Spain had remarkably failed to win a single World Cup knockout match in regular or extra time since lifting the trophy on July 11, 2010.

La Roja's post-2010 World Cup drought highlights just how significant this win was. In 2014, in Brazil, the Spaniards were eliminated in the group stage after heavy defeats to the Netherlands (1-5) and Chile (0-2).

In 2018 (Russia), they were eliminated in the Round of 16 by hosts Russia in a heartbreaking penalty shootout (3-4) after a 1-1 draw. In 2022 (Qatar), La Roja were e...