Austria celebrates World Cup qualification: Rangnick and team celebrate!

Austria celebrates World Cup qualification: Rangnick and team celebrate!

Cheers in the stadium catacombs of the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna: Austria's national soccer team qualified for the 2026 World Cup in North America on Tuesday evening. The decisive game against Bosnia-Herzegovina ended 1-1 after a dramatic game. After falling behind early with a goal from Haris Tabakovic in the 12th minute, Michael Gregoritsch equalized in the 77th minute, which secured their place in the World Cup. This was Gregoritsch's 24th goal in the ÖFB jersey and the most important of his career.

After the final whistle, coach Ralf Rangnick was enthusiastic about the atmosphere in the dressing room and praised his players. “The joy in the dressing room was great,” said Rangnick, who feels connected to the team and the people in Austria as he now spends part of his life in Salzburg. He described the QUALIFICATION as one of the greatest successes of his career and even sang parts of the national anthem.

An exciting game

After the early deficit, the game developed into a game of patience and trepidation for the Austrian team. Various controversial scenes characterized the game. A goal scored by Konrad Laimer was disallowed after a VAR review, causing further nervousness. Rangnick noted that he has now gotten used to celebrating after VAR decisions. However, the team held its nerve and was no longer in trouble after the equaliser.

The match was the final act in a long journey that Austria has taken since last participating in the World Cup in 1998. In total it has been 10,010 days since this last appearance. The draw for group opponents will take place on December 5th in Washington, where Rangnick also hopes not to have to play against Germany.

A farewell for some legends

The 2026 World Cup could also be the last chance for veterans like Marko Arnautovic and David Alaba, which is why the pressure in the run-up to the game was particularly high. Alaba, who is considered one of the greatest and most successful players in Austria, only had to train to a limited extent due to injuries during the course. Rangnick emphasized how happy he is for the two players and how relieved he is that the team managed the pressure successfully.

In the game against Bosnia, both teams played without their missing key players. Austria was without Wöber and Trauner, while Bosnia was without Dedic, Katic, Burnic and other injured players. Despite the difficult conditions, the team showed character and team spirit, which ultimately secured the equalizer and the associated participation in the next World Cup.

Further developments

Rangnick had special lucky charms made for his players that bore their initials and fingerprints and kept his own talisman in his left trouser pocket during the game. These small gestures and rituals show how important team cohesion and the spiritual aspect of football are to him.

With the ticket to the World Cup, Austria is now looking forward to the challenges ahead. The opponents will soon be decided and the team is determined to make history again in the knockout phase. The line-up in the decisive game was as follows:

For more information and details on this historic game and World Cup qualification, read the coverage from Small newspaper, The press and Salzburg24.