Nation dossier · Group J · Out in the Round of 32
Austria
Republic of Austria
Latest Spain 3–0 Austria · Round of 32
Knocked out by Spain · Match 84
Title probability
0.0%
as of 2026-07-20
Overview
Austria arrive at the 2026 World Cup with genuine belief. After narrowly missing out on Qatar 2022, Ralf Rangnick's high-octane project has reignited a generation that reached the Euro 2024 knockouts and topped a group containing France and the Netherlands.
This is a side built on energy, organisation and German-school professionalism. With David Alaba marshalling the back and a midfield brimming with Bundesliga muscle, the Burschen believe they can finally break their decades-long World Cup drought of progress.
Expectations are tempered but real: escaping the group would be celebrated as a milestone for a nation that hasn't won a World Cup match in years.
Capital
Vienna
Population
9,159,000
Confederation
UEFA
FIFA code
AUT
From Wikipedia
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, of which the capital Vienna is the most populous city and state. Austria is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast,…
Source: Wikipedia →Squad
- 122caps
Patrick Pentz
Brondby · Reliable shot-stopper and number one
- –29caps
Alexander Schlager
Red Bull Salzburg · First-choice goalkeeper
- –
Florian Wiegele
Viktoria Plzen · Uncapped third-choice keeper
- 220caps
Philipp Lienhart
SC Freiburg · Solid no-nonsense stopper
- 335caps
Stefan Posch
Mainz 05 · Versatile attacking full-back
- 8116caps
David Alaba
Real Madrid · Captain, Champions League winner
- 1535caps
Kevin Danso
Tottenham Hotspur · Aerially dominant central defender
- –
Philipp Mwene
Mainz 05
- –
Marco Friedl
Werder Bremen · Werder Bremen captain
- –
Michael Svoboda
Venezia
- –
Alexander Prass
TSG Hoffenheim
- –
David Affengruber
Elche
- 640caps
Konrad Laimer
Bayern Munich · Bayern Munich midfielder
- 7100caps
Marcel Sabitzer
Borussia Dortmund · Reached 100 caps at tournament
- 1035caps
Xaver Schlager
RB Leipzig · Pressing midfield dynamo
- 1640caps
Florian Grillitsch
Braga · Calm metronome in midfield
- 1740caps
Christoph Baumgartner
RB Leipzig · Goalscoring attacking midfielder
- 1915caps
Romano Schmid
Werder Bremen · Creative attacking midfielder
- 2012caps
Patrick Wimmer
VfL Wolfsburg · Direct dribbling winger
- –
Alessandro Schöpf
Wolfsberger AC
- –
Nicolas Seiwald
RB Leipzig
- –
Carney Chukwuemeka
Borussia Dortmund · Switched from England youth
- –
Paul Wanner
PSV Eindhoven · Young attacking midfielder
- 9136caps
Marko Arnautovic
Red Star Belgrade · Record scorer and most-capped
- 1845caps
Michael Gregoritsch
Augsburg · Clever target man
- 2118caps
Saša Kalajdžić
LASK · Tall target forward
Model
as of 2026-07-20Exp. points
4.00
Proj. finish
24.5
Seed Elo
1780
Title-probability trajectory
Champion chance across the last 14 snapshots
Matches
History
1934
Fourth place
1954
Third place
1978
Group stage
1982
Group stage
1998
Group stage
Culture
Football culture
Football competes with skiing for national affection, but big matches still fill Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadion with passion. The Bundesliga rivalry between Rapid Wien and Austria Wien is fierce, and Red Bull Salzburg's continental rise has modernised the whole ecosystem.
Did you know
- The 1930s 'Wunderteam' was among the most feared sides in Europe.
- The infamous 1954 'Heat Battle' vs Switzerland ended 7-5, a World Cup record.
- Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadion is named after a legendary coach and player.
- Red Bull's football empire began in Salzburg, transforming Austrian talent development.
- David Alaba won the Champions League with both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.