Austria's football team: Departure for the World Cup qualification against Romania!

Austria's football team: Departure for the World Cup qualification against Romania!

Austria's national soccer team faces an exciting challenge. On Saturday at 8:45 p.m., the World Cup qualification for the 2026 World Cup begins with the first game against Romania in the sold-out Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna. Austria goes into this game as a clear favorite, while Romania, after a 0-1 defeat against Bosnia-Herzegovina, is under pressure. Team boss Ralf Rangnick emphasizes the importance of the game and the intensive preparation of the team.

The pressure on the Austrian team is high, because since 1998 the ÖFB team has not qualified for a World Cup finals. Austria failed six times in a row in the World Cup qualification rounds. The reserved balance sheets increases the expectations of the upcoming games because the goal is clear: return to the World Cup after over 25 years.

The opponents in the group phase

Austria was pulled out of pot 1 and plays in group H against strong competitors: Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino. The group promises exciting games, whereby Bosnia is considered the hardest opponent after the team has successfully started against Romania. According to a simulation of "Football meets Data", Austria has a 67 percent chance of winning the group H.

The previous duels against Romania are mixed, with 3 wins, 5 draws and 2 defeats. In the last duel there were two games in the Nations League in 2020, one of which ended with a defeat for Austria (2: 3). In the past, Austria also has a balanced record against Bosnia: 1 victory, 1 defeat and 3 draws. At the current status of the qualification, Austria is currently taking the last place in the table behind Bosnia, Romania and Cyprus who have already collected points.

squad and preparation

For the upcoming games, Rangnick has put together a squad that includes some highlights and newcomers. The service provider David Alaba will be missing due to a cruciate ligament tear, but the team can rely on strong players like Marko Arnautović, Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer. Nikolas are new in the squad and Thierno Ballo, which brings a fresh wind into the team. Rangnick expressed the desire to take all opponents seriously and to prepare the team for the challenges.

The planned schedule for the World Cup qualification includes the following dates:

The expectations are high and the anticipation for the first qualification game against Romania is noticeable. If Austria won the H H, this would be the first World Cup participation since 1998 and an important step for Austrian football.

For more information about the opponents and the current situation in the team, you can look at the reporting of OE24 , Fussball-wm.pro and Kleine Zeitung .