AUSTRIA

Austria is an eight-time World Cup participant with a best result of third place in 1954. At the 2026 World Cup, Austria plays in Group J against Argentina, Algeria, and Jordan. Head coach Ralf Rangnick (a German, since 2022) is the architect of the gegenpressing tactic. The leaders: Marko Arnautović, David Alaba, Christoph Baumgartner, Konrad Laimer.

In 1954 in Switzerland, Austria reached the World Cup semifinal — Austria led 1:0 against West Germany but lost 1:6. In the third-place match, Austria beat Uruguay 3:1 — its best-ever result. That was the legendary "Wunderteam" — Ernst Happel and Erich Probst leading the attack. Twenty-four years later came fourth place at the 1978 World Cup, after Austria sensationally knocked out West Germany 3:2 in Córdoba (the match remembered as the "Miracle of Córdoba"). After that, modest returns: 1990 and 1998 group-stage exits, then a 28-year gap to 2026.

Qualifying ended in first place under Rangnick. In 2024 Bayern Munich offered him a contract, but Rangnick turned it down to focus on the World Cup with Austria. The team plays high-intensity pressing and rapid transitions — Rangnick's own style, born at RB Leipzig. In Group J the main rival is Argentina; the matchup on June 22 in Arlington is the group's centerpiece. Beyond the group, a possible round of 16 against France — a callback to 1982, when Austria and West Germany played the scandalous "match of shame."

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