Austria's football star Lienhart: We have to score right away!

Austria's football star Lienhart: We have to score right away!

Austria's national soccer team officially started the preparation for the upcoming World Cup qualification games in Seefeld with public training. Around 1,000 fans gathered to support their players. The qualification with the match against Romania begins on June 7, followed by a game against San Marino on June 10th. The big goal is to participate in the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The football association ÖFB has been waiting for a return to a world tournament since 1998, after the team has failed in the last six qualification rounds, as reported.

Philipp Lienhart expressed himself optimistic before the first duel and emphasized the importance of a strong start in qualification. He will probably form the central defense together with Kevin Danso, since David Alaba is not available due to an injury and Gernot Trauner due to a lock. "A World Cup starting site would be the fulfillment of a childhood dream," said Lienhart. The young Leopold Querfeld, 21 years old, has no memories of the last World Cup participation in Austria and described a qualification as a great achievement for the country. In group H, which also includes Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino, Austria is considered a favorite.

difficult opponents in sight

The first opponents can be a challenge, especially Romania, which is in third place in the FIFA world rankings and whose squad value is over 100 million euros. Bosnia-Herzegovina, in 74th place, has a squad value just under 100 million euros, while Cyprus in 130 and San Marino, which was currently celebrating its first victory in 20 years, has rather weaker squad. Austria plays the following games in this qualification round:

currently ranked in last place with 0 points, while Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania are ahead. The team urgently has to increase in order to achieve the goal of achieving the group victory and qualify directly for the World Cup, not to lose sight of. A group of group would have to go to the remaining starting places in the playoffs.

positive tendencies in the team

Ralf Rangnick's coaching work shows a positive upswing. In 2024, Austria reached the round of 16 of the European Championship and defeated 5-1 in the Nations League Norway. In addition, the upcoming Nation League playoff round is due to Serbia, which deals with promotion to league A. David Alaba could possibly return after his injury in the course of the year, which would strengthen the line -up. It is an exciting time for Austrian football, the fans hope for a successful return to the big stage and a possible revival of the national team.