Austria's players celebrated their World Cup qualification with a sold-out crowd at the Prater Stadium. © APA / GEORG HOCHMUTH

The Austrian national football team has reached its goal, but challenges await.

The word "historic" may be overused in sports reporting, but it is justified in connection with Austria's national football team. For the first time in 27 years, the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) team has qualified for a World Cup.

19 November 2025

From: apa/sn

The return to the biggest stage is thanks to a squad whose quality is remarkably high. The core of the team established itself abroad for years, some at absolute top clubs, and has also remained together for years. In addition, they have a coach in Ralf Rangnick who lets the team play what it loves most – attacking football with high pressing and high intensity.

The German sowed the seeds during his time at Red Bull that he is now reaping. Many Austrian national team players have internalized Rangnick's principles for years, which in turn made it easier to implement a genuine playing philosophy in the Austrian team – a rarity at the national team level.
Formula for success: A good team plus a suitable coach plus luck
The recipe for success, however, involves more than just finding the right coach for a talented team. David Alaba and his teammates seized the opportunity, but all is not well: apart from the match against San Marino and the 2-0 win in Cyprus, no game was won by more than one goal.

For the first time since 1998, Austria will participate in a FIFA World Cup next summer. © APA / GEORG HOCHMUTH

The national team struggles against deep-lying opponents who use long balls to evade pressing. After the 1-0 defeat in Bucharest, Romania's coach Mircea Lucescu described the fact that the core of the Austrian national team has remained unchanged for years as both a blessing and a curse. The team operates according to automatic processes, and in good phases, there is an almost telepathic understanding between the players. However, opponents now know exactly what to expect.

The Austrian national football team is getting on in years

Adding to this problem is a certain aging of the squad. Alaba will celebrate his 34th birthday during the World Cup, while Marko Arnautovic will be 37 at the tournament in North America. Other long-serving stalwarts like Marcel Sabitzer, Michael Gregoritsch, and Phillipp Mwene are all over 30, and Konrad Laimer (28), Xaver Schlager (28), Philipp Lienhart (29), and Stefan Posch (29) are not far behind. Rangnick's playing style is physically demanding but has to be implemented by an increasingly aging team. With the exception of 19-year-old Nikolaus Wurmbrand, no truly young player currently seems to be in contention for a starting 15 or 16.

Captain Marko Arnautovic will be 37 years old at the World Cup. © APA / GEORG HOCHMUTH

However, this doesn't change the national team's current high level of performance. A successful World Cup run is certainly conceivable, especially since reaching the knockout stage of a World Cup is even easier than at a European Championship, if one uses the world rankings as a benchmark. And even a single victory could be enough to reach the round of 32 at the World Cup. The chances are good of winning a World Cup match for the first time since 1990 and advancing to the knockout stage for the first time since 1954. Next summer, the team will therefore have another opportunity to make history.