Toni Polster: Austria's future and Arnautovic in focus!

Toni Polster: Austria's future and Arnautovic in focus!

Österreich, Land - Toni Polster, one of the best -known strikers in Austrian football history, takes stock of the long dry spell of the national team without participation in a World Championship. Since the last participation in the World Cup in 1998, in which upholstery acted as captain, Austria has no longer participated in a world tournament. The early departure of the then team against Cameroon, Chile and Italy left him a bitter aftertaste. Austria's last appearance ended on June 23, 1998 with a 1-2 defeat against Italy. As oe24.at, Polster sees parallels between himself and the current Star Marko Arnautovic and is of the opinion that the two would have harmonized in his the best form.

"I never thought that it would take so long for Austria to take part in a World Cup again," Polster admits in an interview with the platform [Kicker.at] (https://www.kicker.at/arnautovic-und-haetten-uns-ergaenzt-polster-oesterreichs- Herzte- and-die-2026-1123852/articles). The most important striker in Austria in the past 40 years has also been expressed on the current situation in amateur football and demands predictable structures, since the ambiguity of the relegation and relegation in the regional league causes existential concerns for many clubs.

World Cup history and challenges

The Austrian national team has an eventful history in the World Cup. The first participation was in 1934, and since then the Austrians have qualified several times, the last time in 1998. The previous participations are reminiscent of moving times, including the success in 1954, when Austria could exist against large football nations, but also painful farewells in later years. According to [wikipedia] (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96 ÖLTERISCHEN_FU%C3%9Fball National team/Welt Championships) could not qualify for the last six world championships.

Polster, who scored a total of 44 goals for his KSC and the Austrian national team and has been working as a coach at Wiener Viktoria for 14 years, speaks openly about his experiences. Between his memories of the World Cup participation and the current situation of the team, he describes the challenges and opportunities that are waiting for the team on the way to the 2026 World Cup. This qualification will be particularly important for Austria in order to finally be represented at a big tournament.

"I am optimistic for the 2026 World Cup," emphasizes Polster, as he believes in the quality of the current team. His resentment about the loss of three non -recognized international goals against the ÖFB is complete, but his patriotism is unmistakable when he speaks about the special moment of his captain - a moment that is a great honor for every player.