The FIFA World Cup 2026™ in Canada, Mexico and the United States will bring an eagerly awaited comeback for Austria, who have featured at seven previous instalments of FIFA’s flagship men’s event but last graced the global stage back in 1998.
The 1954 bronze medallists made sure of top spot in their qualifying group with a 1-1 draw at home to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 November 2025 and will now be looking to make up for lost time in North America.
Austria coach: Ralf Rangnick
At the helm since late April 2022, Rangnick boasts decades of experience both as a coach and as a sporting director, having previously worked for a string of clubs, mostly in his native Germany. His CV includes two spells in the Schalke hotseat – during the second of which he notably led the Royal Blues to the 2010/11 German Cup title – as well as stints at the likes of Stuttgart, Hannover and Hoffenheim.
However, the tactician is best known for his time at RB Leipzig between 2012 and 2019, where he masterminded the club’s relentless march from the regional leagues to the upper echelons of the Bundesliga. Though he did spend two seasons in the dugout in Leipzig and reached another cup final with the Red Bulls, the lion’s share of his influence came in a directorial role.
Renowned worldwide as one of the pioneers of pressing, Rangnick had a period in caretaker charge at Premier League powerhouses Manchester United prior to being appointed by the Austrian FA. The seasoned campaigner was quick to put his extensive expertise and clear football philosophy into practice with the national team, guiding them to UEFA EURO 2024 in impressive fashion, and – after rebuffing an approach from Bayern Munich – he repeated that feat in the FIFA World Cup™ preliminaries to end the country’s exile on the global stage.
Austria’s World Cup 2026 fixtures and group
Full World Cup 2026 match schedule
How Austria qualified for World Cup 2026
Pitted against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Cyprus and San Marino in Group H of the UEFA qualifiers, Rangnick’s charges raced into pole position, winning their first five matches. This flying start included the nation’s biggest victory ever, a 10-0 hammering of San Marino in October 2025. Marko Arnautovic starred in that demolition job, amassing four goals to become his country’s all-time leading scorer.
Just when their place in North America looked to be a shoo-in, a dramatic 1-0 defeat in Romania blew the group wide open again. The Austrians got back on track by squeaking past Cyprus in their penultimate qualifier, leaving them needing only a point from the crunch clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 November to win the group. Things did not start according to plan for Rangnick’s men in Vienna, as they fell behind to Haris Tabakovic’s close-range header following a corner inside the first quarter of an hour. However, the home side kept their cool and eventually sealed a draw and their spot at the World Cup thanks to forward Michael Gregoritsch’s poacher’s finish in the 78th minute.
Austria’s World Cup history
Austria’s best World Cup
The short trip to Switzerland in 1954 yielded the Austrians’ finest hour on the global stage, which culminated with a podium finish behind winners West Germany and runners-up Hungary. Coached by Walter Nausch, a team packed with now legendary figures – foremost among them, Gerhard Hanappi, Ernst Stojaspal and captain Ernst Ocwirk – eased through to the quarter-finals with a 100 per cent record thanks to a 1-0 win over Scotland and a 5-0 rout of Czechoslovakia.
Next up came an iconic battle with the hosts in sweltering conditions in Lausanne (which is covered in greater detail below), where Austria prevailed 7-5 in the biggest goal-fest in World Cup history. The semi-finals brought a chastening 6-1 loss at the hands of West Germany, but Nausch’s side bounced back to beat deposed champions Uruguay 3-1 in the play-off for third place. The fact that they netted 17 goals en route to bagging the bronze medal speaks volumes of the firepower possessed by that golden generation.
Austria’s last World Cup
The Central Europeans last appeared at world football’s pinnacle tournament in France in 1998. Under the stewardship of Herbert Prohaska, Austria were drawn against Italy, Cameroon and Chile in Group B. It proved to be a competition of high drama for Austria, who, amazingly, scored in second-half stoppage time in all three of their matches. While this epitomised their never-say-die attitude, a 92nd-minute strike to reduce the deficit in their final fixture against the Italians wound up being too little, too late. Prohaska’s men ultimately succumbed 2-1 and exited on two points – just one shy of second-placed Chile – as a result of 1-1 stalemates in their other two encounters.
Austria’s first World Cup
Despite having been absent from the maiden global showpiece in Uruguay, Austria went into the second instalment four years later in Italy among the favourites for the title. They had earned this status, along with the nickname ‘Wonder Team’, on the strength of an impressive run of results, which included just two losses in 28 games between April 1931 and the start of the tournament.
Hugo Meisl’s side initially lived up to their billing, advancing to the semi-finals following a 3-2 extra-time triumph over France and a 2-1 success against Hungary. However, their bubble was burst in the last four, where they were edged out 1-0 by the hosts, and they were unable to dust themselves off to claim a consolation prize in the third-place play-off, going down 3-2 to Germany. Despite this disappointment, a fourth-placed debut finish remained a creditable achievement and went some way towards capping a golden age in Austrian football.
Austria’s World Cup top scorer
The most prolific Austrian marksman at the global extravaganza is Erich Probst (pictured on the right above) with six goals. All of those strikes came at the 1954 World Cup, where the Vienna-born sharpshooter’s tally was bettered only by Hungary’s 11-goal Sandor Kocsis. After notching the match-winner in his team’s 1-0 opening triumph against Scotland, Probst plundered a hat-trick in their other group-stage contest, a 5-0 drubbing of Czechoslovakia. The Rapid Vienna star’s next effort rounded off the epic 7-5 quarter-final victory over Switzerland, while his last World Cup goal served to briefly give his side hope against West Germany in the semi-finals, cutting the arrears to 2-1 before the opposition eventually cantered to a 6-1 win.
Austria players with most World Cup appearances
Four players share the honour of having lined up the most times for Austria in World Cup action: Friedrich Koncilia, Erich Obermayer, Bruno Pezzey and Prohaska (who would go on to manage his country) all made 11 appearances at the competition. The quartet played in all of their side’s games across the 1978 and 1982 tournaments in Argentina and Spain, respectively, with the Austrians reaching the second group stage on each occasion. Together, they formed the spine of the team at both editions, with Koncilia in goal, defensive duo Pezzey and Obermayer in front of him, and Prohaska, one of the leading lights of his generation, pulling the strings in midfield.
Austria’s memorable World Cup moments
As mentioned above, Austria were involved in one of the competition’s most gripping games ever, the quarter-final showdown with hosts Switzerland in 1954. This 12-goal thriller remains the highest-scoring World Cup encounter of all time. With the temperature hovering around 40°C, the two neighbouring nations produced a scorching attacking spectacle befitting the conditions. The Austrians hung on to triumph 7-5 despite their goalkeeper Kurt Schmied suffering from sunstroke; with substitutions not yet available at the World Cup, the unfortunate shot-stopper bravely soldiered on to the end.
Fast-forwarding 24 years, Austria grabbed the headlines again at the 1978 tournament in Argentina by topping a section containing Brazil, Spain and Sweden in the first group stage. In the second round, the Central Europeans slipped to consecutive reverses – 5-1 to the Netherlands and 1-0 to Italy – that dashed their dreams of progressing further and left them with nothing but pride to play for in their third fixture, against West Germany. The Germans, on the other hand, still harboured aspirations of defending their title and would have fancied their chances of overcoming their neighbours, to whom they had not lost for 47 years. The Austrians were to turn the tables, however, running out 3-2 victors on 21 June 1978 to dethrone the reigning world champions in unforgettable fashion. The encounter has a firm place in football lore on both sides of the border, having been dubbed the ‘Miracle of Cordoba’ in Austria and the ‘Disgrace of Cordoba’ in Germany.
Austria’s biggest World Cup win
We have to go back to 1954 and the aforementioned 5-0 victory over Czechoslovakia for the Austrians’ most one-sided conquest at the global showpiece. A Probst treble and a Stojaspal brace did the damage, helping their side to finish level on points with Uruguay atop Group 3. Both teams went through to the quarter-finals, with the Europeans doing so as group winners, as determined by the drawing of lots. Austria would then put none other than La Celeste to the sword in the play-off for third place, a 3-1 victory securing their berth on the podium.
