Austria's football team starts with pressure against Romania in the World Cup qualification

Austria's football team starts with pressure against Romania in the World Cup qualification

Austria's national football team is about to start the World Cup qualification for the World Cup 2026. On June 7, 2025 at 8:45 p.m., the national team will meet Romania in the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna. This game marks the start for a challenging qualification round, in which the team of coach Ralf Rangnick goes into the game with a slight positive balance.

In the previous ten encounters with Romania, Austria had three wins, five draws and two defeats. The goal difference is balanced at 12:12. Most recently, Austria won 1-0 in Romania in October 2020; Before that, however, there was a home defeat in September 2020 with 2: 3. The history of the encounters shows that the two teams have delivered close and competitive games over the years. For example, an earlier duel ended in 1986 with a 0: 4 defeat for Austria, but the team was able to record a 2-1 win in 2009.

shape curve and promotion hopes

Austria's national team has a strong balance in the last home games: they have been unbeaten with nine wins and three draws for seven home games, while the last defeat against Belgium took place in October 2023. However, coach Ralf Rangnick is under pressure, because his team has not won a victory for three games. In the last five games there was only one victory, and the results of the last encounters in the Nations League and at the EM round of ulcer against Turkey give rise to concern.

The World Cup qualification is particularly important because Austria has not participated in a World Cup since 1998 and has failed in the last six qualifications. The goal is clear: a return to the World Cup after more than 25 years. In Group H, Austria meets Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino. As a favorite in this group, the team sought a group victory that would enable direct qualifications for the World Cup, while the group second should be in the playoffs.

the squad and important players

The squad was announced for the upcoming games, whereby service providers such as Marko Arnautović, Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer will continue to play a key role. However, David Alaba is missing due to his cruciate ligament tear, but could potentially return by 2025. Estonishing talents such as Nikolas Veratschnig and Thierno Ballo were also appointed to the squad to bring a breath of fresh air to the team.

The first game against Romania is considered crucial to win momentum and self-confidence for the following games against San Marino, Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the current qualification group, Austria is written on the face of the failure before the start, since they are currently taking the last place in the points table.

summarized the duel against Romania not only the entry into the World Cup qualification, but also the first step towards a possible return to the world's largest football stage. Whether Ralf Rangnick and his team can master this challenge will be shown on June 7th.

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