Lamine Yamal, Cristiano Ronaldo Keep Round of 32 Action Going At The World Cup

The round of 32 rolls on at the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup with more surprises in store as teams with different styles and different expectations will square off. The day begins in Los Angeles, where one of the pre-tournament favorites in Spain will take on an Austria team that will be looking to relentlessly press its way to an upset. The tournament then shifts to Toronto, where Croatia and Portugal meet in a game that will be highlighted by a clash of two of the game’s best players over the past two decades in Cristian Ronaldo and Luka Modrić. The tournament remains in Canada for the day’s final game in Vancouver, where an improving Switzerland will take on an explosive Algeria team that takes a lot of risks and plays on the edge. Here is all you need to know for Thursday at the World Cup. When: Thursday, July 2, 3 p.m. ET Where: Los Angeles TV: FOX Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One As one of the tournament’s leading contenders, Spain will get its knockout campaign underway on Thursday afternoon when it takes on Austria at Los Angeles Stadium. After being held to a stunning 0-0 draw by Cape Verde in its group stage opener, it has been smooth sailing for Spain, which is yet to concede a goal at the tournament. Following the Cape Verde result, Luis de la Fuente’s team defeated Saudi Arabia 4-0 and Uruguay 1-0 to win the group. The biggest concern for Spain entering this game is that wingers Nico Williams and Yéremy Pino are not expected to start due to injuries sustained in the win over Uruguay. Obviously, that will place an increased burden on budding superstar Lamine Yamal and Atlético Madrid mainstay Alex Baena to provide width to the Spanish attack and combine with center forward Mikel Oyarzabal. But beyond them, the options are limited. Spain’s strength, however, is in its midfield triangle of Pedri, Rodri, and Mikel Merino, who are among the best in the world in possession. But this game will be a clash of styles. Under manager Ralf Rangnick, Austria presses intensely and relentlessly. If Austria ever loses possession, its players immediately press in an attempt to win the ball back quickly. It will be a huge test for either team to pull off its game plan. Austria will attempt to force turnovers from the best-possession national team in the world, while Spain rarely presses as much as what the Austrians will attempt in this game. Austria’s style of play has the team frequently walking a thin line between success and failure because if the press is ineffective, opponents typically have space to exploit. But this risky approach nearly cost the team dearly against Algeria in the group stage finale. In that game, Austria squandered two leads and then fell behind in stoppage time only to find a last-minute equalizer to advance. Rangnick’s team is very much living on borrowed time at this World Cup. If Austria is going to pull off a stunning upset in this game, Marko Arnautovic will have to play a key role. The 37-year-old center forward has been dealing with an injury that has limited his involvement to no more than 45 minutes in any game. But he has been excellent whenever on the field, having scored two very important goals and served as the team’s emotional leader. Player to Watch The Atlético Madrid man has been sharp in Spain’s last two games, both wins, and was the Man of the Match after scoring a goal in the 1-0 win over Uruguay. In a game against a pressing team, Baena will have the opportunity to exploit space if he can maintain possession under pressure. Baena is playing well and should be a key to Spain’s attack against Austria. When: Thursday, July 2, 7 p.m. ET Where: Toronto TV: FOX Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Portugal and Croatia will meet on Thursday at Toronto Stadium in one of the most star-studded games in this World Cup’s round of 32. At front and center will be an emotional battle between two legendary former Real Madrid teammates in Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić who are both fighting to keep their final hopes of winning a World Cup alive. Neither team had been convincing during the group stage. Portugal was held to lackluster draws by DR Congo and Colombia while only defeating debutants Uzbekistan, 5-0. Croatia, meanwhile, has fared only slightly better. After a 4-2 loss to England, Croatia had to fight much harder than expected to notch a 1-0 win over Panama and a 2-1 win over Ghana. For Portugal, Bruno Fernandes is the creator, and he will have to win in the midfield against Croatia, which features Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, and Petar Sučić. It will be a clash of styles as Portugal thrives at speeding the game up while Croatia will look to slow the game down. Because of that, the game will likely be decided in transition play and whether Portugal can get wingers like Rafael Leão and Pedro Neto involved. But many eyes will be on Modrić and Ronaldo, two iconic players who are now over 40. Ronaldo will be playing in his ninth career World Cup knockout game but is still searching for his first goal in this stage of the tournament. Modrić is the midfield engine and is coming off a great performance in the win over Ghana where he was everywhere on both sides of the ball. But doing that against Portugal will require an even higher level. Player to Watch In a game such as this with contrasting styles, both teams will be looking to have the game played on their terms. For Portugal, that begins with Fernandes who is the engine of the team’s midfield. He is very direct and plays the game with a lot of energy. He won’t want to let Croatia slow the game down and become choppy. Portugal struggled against Colombia in the group stage finale, but Fernandes was at the heart of Portugal’s best moments. When: Thursday, July 2, 11 p.m. ET Where: Vancouver TV: FS1 Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One After both Switzerland and Algeria had uneven campaigns in their respective World Cup group stages, the two teams will meet on Thursday at BC Place Stadium (Vancouver) in the round of 32. Switzerland began the tournament with a very poor performance in a 1-1 draw with Qatar but since then, Murat Yakin’s squad has been on the rise with a convincing 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina followed by a 2-1 win over co-hosts Canada. Algeria, meanwhile, have been all over the place in its first three games of the tournament. A lopsided loss to Argentina was expected in the opening game, but the Desert Foxes needed to come from behind in the second half to defeat Jordan 2-1 and then get a result in a wild 3-3 draw with Austria – where Algeria came from behind twice, but then blew a lead late to settle for a point. Algeria should be prepared for this game as its head coach, Vladimir Petković, was the head coach of Switzerland for seven years from 2014-2021. Many of the Switzerland players came into the national team under Petković, and he knows the team well. Despite Petković’s history with Switzerland, the two teams play with very different styles. The Swiss team is more structured and disciplined with its game plan under Yakin, while Algeria is more explosive and lethal on counter-attacks. The team’s attack is driven by veteran wingers Houssem Aouar and Riyad Mahrez, who both play for Saudi Arabian clubs but who both have experience with top European teams. For Switzerland, Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler will be tasked with controlling the midfield and preventing the game from becoming wide open, which is what Algeria would prefer. Player to Watch Switzerland’s 20-year-old midfielder has been one of the top young players of this tournament, with three goals and an assist in the group stage. In the 2-1 win over Canada, the Geneva-born Manzambi was arguably the best player on the field with a goal and an assist. Manzambi has had a great year at the club level with SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga. He was also named the Europa League Young Player of the Season for 2025-26, and he excels at making late runs into the box. He could be one of the keys to victory for Switzerland in this game.