Austria's football hope: WM -QUALI drawn - who are the opponents?

Austria's football hope: WM -QUALI drawn - who are the opponents?

Austria's national soccer team has set a clear focus at today's draw of the World Cup qualification groups for the FIFA World Cup in Zurich. The team of ÖFB team boss Ralf Rangnick meets Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino in Group H. Austria sees itself in a promising position as one of the best UEFA teams that have qualified among the group winners. Rangnick expressed satisfaction about the opponents: "I wanted opponents in advance, against whom we have not played in the past two and a half years. This wish has come true, I am happy about that," reports the Ligaportal.at.

ORF and the Bundesliga rights

In the meantime, ORF has secured the transfer rights for the World Cup qualification and the final round of the upcoming World Cup, which is a strategic advantage for the broadcaster. The cooperation with Canal + and the existing partnership with Sky show that ORF is planning to expand its football offer in the future. Herbert Prohaska, former team manager, will withdraw from his analyzes as an ORF expert in the new season, but will remain present with his comments during the 2026 World Cup. The ORF also plans a possible separate strategy for the Bundesliga, which will be advertised in the coming spring, as reported on OE24.

The draw also brings new challenges for the Austrian team, which will play their games between March and November 2025 to secure a place in the World Cup tournament, which will be held from June 11th to July 19, 2026. "In the euro with the group victory in front of Belgium, Romania showed that they are a very playful opponent. We will not only take every team seriously, but also prepare ourselves in the best possible way," adds Rangnick. With strategic planning and the expected future challenges, Austria is faced with a key qualification on the way to the World Cup.