Austria starts brilliantly against Romania in the World Cup qualification 2026!

Austria starts brilliantly against Romania in the World Cup qualification 2026!

On June 7, 2025, the Austrian national team qualification for the 2026 World Cup with an important opening game against Romania in the sold-out Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna. The encounter is managed by Maurizio Mariani from Italy and is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. Under the direction of coach Ralf Rangnick, Austria wants to lay the foundation for successful qualifications.

The objective is clear: after over 25 years, the return to the World Cup finals should succeed. Austria was last qualified for a World Cup in 1998 and failed in the last six attempts in a row. With the group H, to which Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino belong, the team is considered a favorite. A strong performance is expected for the start.

starting and tactics

For the game against Romania, Rangnick has given a clear tactic. Austria will compete in a 4-2-3-1 system. The starting eleven is composed as follows:

On the bench, newcomers such as Nikolas are sitting out and Thierno Ballo, while David Alaba's injury -related absence hits the team painfully. Austria still expects a strong performance of top performers such as Marko Arnautović, Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer.

group situation and other games

Austria is in a group that not only includes Romania, but also Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino. In the qualification round, it is particularly important to survive against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Cyprus. A look at the schedule shows the next important encounters:

• 10. June 2025: San Marino vs. Austria
• 6. September 2025: Austria vs. Cyprus
• 9. September 2025: Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Austria
• 9. October 2025: Austria vs. San Marino
• 12. October 2025: Romania vs. Austria
• 15. November 2025: Cyprus vs. Austria
• 18. November 2025: Austria vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina

In order to achieve the goal of a group victory for direct World Cup qualification, a strong performance against Romania will be of crucial importance. Austria is currently at the end of the table in which Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania have already collected points.

The anticipation for the exciting opening game is large and the entire team is motivated to repay the trust of their fans with a convincing performance. In this context, 5min.at On the importance of the course of the qualification.