2026 World Cup, Spain vs. Austria: The referee’s decision sharply divides fans

Regardless of the result, the Round of 16 match between Spain and Austria at the 2026 World Cup is sparking debate over another disallowed goal following a corner kick—a scene already seen (and hotly contested, both on and off the field) during extra time in the match between Germany and Paraguay. In this case as well—just as in the match that would ultimately see Paraguay advance—contact between a player and the goalkeeper led to the goal being disallowed, sparking heated debate on the field and, in real time, on social media.

The facts: In the 29th minute, with the score tied 0-0, Spain scored through Cucurella following a corner kick, but Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg immediately disallowed the goal for an alleged charge by Cubarsí against goalkeeper Schlager. The replay did indeed show contact between the two, but the sequence of events quickly sparked a debate.

For some fans, it was in fact the goalkeeper who sought the contact, taking advantage of an interpretation of the rule that in this World Cup seems to markedly favor the defense. For others, however, Cubarsí’s action should rightly be considered a foul, and represents precisely the type of situation that FIFA wants to eliminate, putting an end to the gray areas surrounding blocking and counter-blocking on set pieces.

The debate inevitably brings to mind what happened in the Germany–Paraguay match, when a goal by Tah was disallowed in extra time due to very similar contact. In that case as well, commentators were divided, with Jürgen Klopp citing Arsenal as an example of a team capable of scoring multiple times in similar situations without being penalized. This precedent further intensifies the debate between those who call for the protection of goalkeepers and those who, on the contrary, fear that this interpretation will end up penalizing the offense.