Spain face Austria in the World Cup round of 32 on Thursday, July 2, at the Los Angeles Stadium, but they must contend with a double injury blow. Nico Williams, who scored in the Euro 2024 final win over England, has been ruled out after sustaining an injury in the final Group H win over Uruguay. Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Yeremy Pino is also sidelined with a suspected fractured collarbone that could end his tournament.
Nico Williams injury update
Williams took to social media after the Uruguay match to express his devastation. "Today is one of the worst days of my life," he said. "I'm injured again after a very complicated year, in which I fought many battles against a pubalgia, but won the war with sacrifice and most of all, responsibility. I overcame that injury, and then another one on my hamstring tested me again. Once more, I stopped smiling but I wasn't going to stop. Yesterday, I suffered another injury after a challenge by a fellow professional, driven by frustration, discontent, and sadness over his situation. It was a play that, in my opinion, could have been avoided because it was completely unnecessary."
Predicted Spain lineup vs Austria
Neither Williams nor Pino were expected to start against Austria, so manager Luis de la Fuente may resist making wholesale changes. Spain have not conceded a goal in the tournament so far. The back four is likely to feature Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, and Marc Cucurella in front of goalkeeper Unai Simon, with Pedro Porro and Marcos Llorente competing for the right-back spot. In midfield, Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz are in contention to replace Arsenal's Mikel Merino alongside Rodri and Pedri. Up front, Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal are expected to start, with Alex Baena set to benefit from Williams' absence ahead of Ferran Torres and Gavi.
Confirmed team news
Injured: Nico Williams, Yeremy Pino. Doubts: None. The match kicks off at 8pm BST on Thursday, July 2, 2026, and will be broadcast on BBC.
