Austria at the FIFA World Cup 2026

History

Austria are making their ninth World Cup appearance in 2026, ending a 28-year absence since France 1998. Their finest hour came at the 1954 tournament in Switzerland, where they finished third after defeating Uruguay 3-1 in the third-place play-off. That tournament also featured Austria's legendary 7-5 quarter-final win over hosts Switzerland, still the highest-scoring match in World Cup history. Austria's other notable appearance was a fourth-place finish in 1934. Their previous appearances span 1934, 1954, 1958, 1978, 1982, 1990, and 1998. The 2026 edition is only their second World Cup qualification in the twenty-first century.

Qualification

Austria qualified by topping UEFA qualifying Group H unbeaten, accumulating 19 points from eight matches. The group also included Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, and San Marino. Austria produced 22 goals while conceding only four, giving them one of the best defensive records of any UEFA group winner. Notable results included a 10-0 home demolition of San Marino. Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified as runners-up and advanced to the UEFA play-offs. Austria's direct qualification as group winners confirmed their first World Cup appearance in 28 years, under coach Ralf Rangnick who took charge in April 2022.

Preparation

Austria's official 26-man squad was announced by Ralf Rangnick on May 18, 2026. The squad features established names such as David Alaba, Marcel Sabitzer, and Marko Arnautovic. In March 2026, Austria played warm-up friendlies against Ghana and South Korea, winning both. The squad gathered for World Cup preparation at the new ÖFB-Campus in Wien-Aspern in late May 2026, holding a public open training session followed by closed sessions before their final home warm-up: a friendly against Tunisia on 1 June 2026 at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna, which Rangnick described as the ideal dress rehearsal because Tunisia's style mirrors opening opponent Jordan. Austria won that test 1-0 with ten men, Marcel Sabitzer scoring in the 63rd minute after Konrad Laimer was sent off for a handball as last man around the 37th minute; it was Austria's third win from three 2026 friendlies. Christoph Baumgartner was a late warm-up withdrawal with a thigh injury, and midfielders Patrick Wimmer and Florian Grillitsch again sat out as they recover from muscle injuries, though Rangnick expects both fit within about two weeks for the tournament. Baumgartner's injury proved tournament-ending: he underwent successful thigh surgery on 3 June and faces a long layoff. Rangnick initially decided against an immediate replacement, so Austria flew out with 25 players, but on 11 June named Dejan Ljubicic (Schalke 04) as Baumgartner's replacement, completing the 26-man squad. Ljubicic, 28, has 9 Austria caps and last featured for the national team in September 2023; he joined Schalke from Dinamo Zagreb in January 2026 and contributed 4 goals and 3 assists in 15 appearances as they won promotion to the Bundesliga. He arrived at the Santa Barbara camp on 12 June. The squad departed Vienna for the USA on 4 June 2026, settling into its base camp at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Goleta near Santa Barbara, California, and training at UC Santa Barbara's Harder Stadium. A planned final warm-up against Guatemala on 11 June at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena was scrapped: the OFB called it off on 18 May after no agreement could be reached over the venue and Guatemala's other US fixtures, leaving the 1 June Tunisia win as Austria's last match before the tournament. The team instead trained daily in Santa Barbara until the opener, beginning with a FIFA-mandated public session on 5 June that drew about 3,000 fans at Harder Stadium; David Alaba, Xaver Schlager and Patrick Wimmer sat out that day, and Alaba again on 6 and 7 June, for load-management reasons, with the OFB stressing Alaba's rest was precautionary rather than a new injury. The OFB rotated several players through load-management rests in early June: five sat out the 7 June session (Alaba, Marko Arnautovic, Marcel Sabitzer, Wimmer and Florian Grillitsch), described as not serious injuries. By 8 June the squad was almost complete: Alaba returned to team training for the first time since 31 May and Wimmer also returned after his muscle injury, leaving Arnautovic the only absentee with light knee problems. Arnautovic was back in training on 9 June, when Grillitsch was rested as a precaution given his recently overcome muscle injury, leaving the rest of the squad available. Rangnick has built Austria around a 4-2-3-1 system influenced by the high-pressing, vertical style associated with his Red Bull coaching philosophy. On 14 June, just days before the tournament opener, Rangnick signed a new contract extension with the ÖFB keeping him in charge until at least the end of 2027, with automatic extension through UEFA Euro 2028 if Austria qualify, ending speculation about a move to AC Milan. Austria opened their 2026 World Cup campaign on 17 June with a 3-1 Group J win over debutants Jordan at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara (att. 68,527). Romano Schmid curled in a superb opener in the 21st minute, Jordan equalised through Ali Olwan (50'), an own goal by Yazan Al-Arab (77') restored Austria's lead, and Marko Arnautovic sealed victory with a VAR-awarded stoppage-time penalty in the 90+12th minute. An earlier Arnautovic close-range finish was disallowed by VAR for a Stefan Posch handball (67'). Arnautovic, at 37, became Austria's oldest-ever World Cup player. Rangnick's assessment: the win required serious effort but Austria deserved it after improving in the second half. A concern from the Jordan match is defender Stefan Posch, who suffered a confirmed jaw fracture during the game. Rangnick had initially warned that a jaw fracture would end his tournament, but Posch trained on 20 June in Santa Barbara wearing a specially-made protective mask, signalling he may still be available. Former Argentina World Cup winner Mario Kempes, who played club football in Austria, warned his compatriots ahead of the match: he called Rangnick the 'father of gegenpressing' and flagged Alaba, Sabitzer, Arnautovic, Laimer and Seiwald as dangerous players. Austrian referee Amin Omar (Egypt) was assigned to the match. Austria faced Argentina on 22 June at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium, Arlington). They lost 0-2, with Lionel Messi scoring in the 38th minute and 90+5th minute to set a new all-time World Cup individual scoring record (17th and 18th tournament goals, surpassing Miroslav Klose). Messi had missed a penalty in the 9th minute. Stefan Posch started wearing a custom protective jaw brace after his fracture vs Jordan, received a yellow card (40'), and was substituted in the 68th minute for Alexander Prass; Konrad Laimer was also booked (67'). After the Argentina defeat Austria's players expressed frustration: Rangnick pointed to an unflagged foul on Xaver Schlager before the first goal; Sabitzer called the late second goal 'very, very foolish'; Alaba felt Austria deserved at least a point. Austria (1W-1L, 3 points) faced Algeria on 27 June at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City (att. ~69,000), refereed by Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev. The historical shadow of the 1982 'Disgrace of Gijón' lent the fixture an extra edge. The match delivered extraordinary drama: Arnautovic put Austria ahead in the 28th minute (Alaba assist), Belghali equalised on the stroke of halftime (45'), Sabitzer restored the lead (55', Laimer assist), Mahrez levelled again (60'), then struck in the 93rd minute to apparently eliminate Austria. With seconds remaining, substitute Kalajdzic headed home a Gregoritsch cross in the 96th minute to make it 3-3, sparking wild celebrations. Both teams advanced; Austria progress as Group J runners-up for the first time beyond the group stage since 1982. All group-stage yellow cards are wiped clean for the knockout rounds. Austria face Spain in the Round of 16 in Los Angeles on Thursday (21:00 MESZ, Servus TV). Rangnick called it a 'dream story' and said he had 'never experienced anything remotely like this.' Alaba confessed 'I already saw myself packing my suitcases.' Kalajdzic, who had overcome three career ACL injuries, called the moment 'one of the most beautiful in my career.' Sabitzer was self-critical: 'We went ahead twice, then couldn't bring it home. That was unprofessional' and warned the team needs significant improvement against Spain. Austria's tournament ended on 2 July with a 3-0 round-of-32 defeat to Spain at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood (att. 70,492). Mikel Oyarzabal scored either side of half-time (36', 89') with Pedro Porro adding a second-half header (66'); Austria finished the match without a single shot on target despite several early saves by goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. Rangnick made a double substitution (Florian Grillitsch and Carney Chukwuemeka) and later brought on Sasa Kalajdzic, but Austria could not find a way back once Spain led 2-0. Rangnick said the tie became difficult from that point on, while captain David Alaba described feeling emptiness and sadness after the final whistle but said Spain's quality had to be accepted. Despite the elimination, Austria met their primary tournament objective: reaching the knockout stage for the first time since 1954 and advancing from the group stage for the first time in 44 years. Marko Arnautovic's 3-0 defeat to Spain marked his final appearance for the national team, closing out a 137-cap international career. Spain advanced to face Portugal in the quarter-finals.

Squad

Recent results

• 2024-03-23 — SVK 0-2 AUT (friendly)
• 2024-03-26 — AUT 6-1 TUR (friendly)
• 2024-06-04 — AUT 2-1 SRB (friendly)
• 2024-06-08 — SUI 1-1 AUT (friendly)
• 2025-06-07 — AUT 2-1 ROU (qualification)
• 2025-06-10 — SMR 0-4 AUT (qualification)
• 2025-09-06 — AUT 1-0 CYP (qualification)
• 2025-09-09 — BIH 1-2 AUT (qualification)
• 2025-10-09 — AUT 10-0 SMR (qualification)
• 2025-10-12 — ROU 1-0 AUT (qualification)
• 2025-11-15 — CYP 0-2 AUT (qualification)
• 2025-11-18 — AUT 1-1 BIH (qualification)
• 2026-03-27 — AUT 5-1 GHA (friendly)
• 2026-03-31 — AUT 1-0 KOR (friendly)
• 2026-06-01 — AUT 1-0 TUN (friendly)
• 2026-06-22 — ARG 2-0 AUT (group)
• 2026-06-27 — ALG 3-3 AUT (group)
• 2026-07-02 — ESP 3-0 AUT (round_of_32)