Austria's World Cup return? Fans show power at the first qualifying game!
Austria's World Cup return? Fans show power at the first qualifying game!
Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Wien, Österreich - On June 7, 2025, the Serious Happel Stadium in Vienna came to the opening game of the World Cup qualification, in which Austria had to compete against Romania. The mood was great when the fans of the Austrian national team presented an impressive giant choreography when the teams marched in, which was decorated with the lettering "2026" and the motif of a World Cup Cup. A saying band that was attached under the choreography was: "With full strength to the World Cup".
Team boss Ralf Rangnick has clearly had the goal since taking office: the return to the World Cup, which should be possible for Austria again after 28 years. So far, the national team was last represented at a World Cup finals in 1998. Rangnick said that participation in the 2026 World Cup and the group victory in qualification was the central goal of the ÖFB team.
The squad for the World Cup qualification
Rangnick has now announced the first squad for the World Cup qualification. This gathers some established stars and some fresh faces. The selection for the decisive qualification game against Romania includes the following players:
| position | player |
|---|---|
| gate | Nicolas Schmid, Nikolas Upholster, Patrick Pentz |
| defense | Marco Friedl, Philipp Lienhart, Philipp Mwene, Stefan Posch, Leopold Querfeld, Gernot Trauner, Nikolas Veratschnig, Maximilian Wöber |
| midfield | Florian Grillitsch, Konrad Laimer, Marcel Sabitzer, Xaver Schlager, Romano Schmid, Nicolas Seiwald |
| attack | Marko Arnautovic, Thierno Ballo, Christoph Baumgartner, Raul Florucz, Michael Gregoritsch, Marco Grüll, Mathias Honsak, Patrick Wimmer |
A few key players are missing from the nominees, including David Alaba, Alexander Schlager, Xaver Schlager, Sasa Kalajdzic and Michael Svoboda. Alexander Schlager is also likely to be four to six weeks due to a wrist injury.
The starting point in the group
Austria plays in the World Cup qualifier H, which not only includes Romania, but also Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino. The national team is the favorite in this group, especially against the background that it was pulled out of the first pot.
The previous results in the table show a clear need for action: After the opening game on June 7th with the still unexplained points, Austria should take the way to direct World Cup qualification. In the current table, Austria is behind Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania and has not yet scored:
| Platz | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 9 |
| 2. | Romania | 3 |
| 3. | Cyprus | 3 |
| 4. | Austria | 0 |
| 5. | San Marino | 0 |
The upcoming games are crucial for the chance to qualify directly for the World Cup. A second place could mean that Austria has to worry about the World Cup participation in the playoffs. The next important games have been determined: On June 10th, Austria will meet San Marino, followed by another game in September against Cyprus.
The return of important players like David Alaba, who could possibly be operational again after a serious injury in the course of 2025, will be crucial for the morality and strength of the team. Ralf Rangnick shows with the nomination of new players and the upswing of the team performance that Austria is on the right track to qualify.
For more information about the World Cup qualification and the Austrian national team, visit Krone, [today] (https://www.heute.at/s/oefb-ueberraschung-rangnick- indexing-fsten-km-kader-120110551) Football World Cup.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Ort | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Wien, Österreich |
| Quellen | |
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