Austria's football team celebrates: 2026 World Cup ticket after a thrilling draw!

Austria's football team celebrates: 2026 World Cup ticket after a thrilling draw!

Austria's soccer team completed qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina on November 19, 2025. The players celebrated wildly in the dressing room and the atmosphere was exuberant. There was singing and dancing to Austropop classics such as “I Am From Austria” and “Strada del sole”, while the players presented a banner with the inscription “WM 2026 – Das Crazy Oida”. The players also did a lap of honor in the Happel Oval, accompanied by songs like “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and Falco’s “America”.

The success was visually accompanied by a World Cup trophy emblazoned in the colors of the USA, Canada and Mexico on a red-white-red base. During the celebrations, the ÖFB Internationals wore T-shirts with the inscription “Excited About Playing United”. After more than 25 years, Austria is returning to a World Cup finals since the national team was last represented at such an event in 1998. In the group stage they will play against Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino.

Success in qualification

The Austrian team was extremely successful in qualifying and was able to clearly prevail with 19 points from eight games. The statistics show six wins, one draw and only one defeat, with 22 goals scored and only four conceded. The opponents such as Romania and Bosnia proved to be challenging, but Austria was still considered the favorite in this qualifying round.

• Österreich: 19 Punkte (8 Spiele, 6 Siege, 1 Unentschieden, 1 Niederlage, 22 Tore, 4 Gegentore)
• Bosnien-Herzegowina: 17 Punkte
• Rumänien: 13 Punkte
• Zypern: 8 Punkte
• San Marino: 0 Punkte

The individual games were consistently positive, with a decisive goal from Gregoritsch in the 77th minute that secured the place for qualification. The last matchday against Bosnia-Herzegovina ended with a construction success that earned Austria a ticket to the World Cup.

The path to the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup, which will be held for the first time with 48 nations, begins on June 11, 2026. Austria is considered one of the favorites based on its performance so far. The team starts qualifying in the summer with the game against Romania and has already distinguished itself with a clear 10-0 win against San Marino. The last away game against Romania is seen as a challenge, but the betting odds speak for the possibilities of the ÖFB team.

After the successes in the Nations League and the European Championship 2024, in which they reached the round of 16, team boss Ralf Rangnick brought about an upswing in the team. The return of David Alaba, who had to sit out 2024 due to injury, could give the team additional strength.

The great fan interest in the World Cup qualification is reflected in the viewing ratings. Betting providers offer numerous options for the outcome of the games, but sports bets should be placed carefully in order to act responsibly.