Getty

Austria

Austria has announced its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the eighth time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Austria is making its return to the World Cup, ending a 28-year absence from the tournament. Their best performance during a World Cup was in 1978 when they reached the quarter-finals.

Head coach Ralf Rangnick announced the full squad earlier today. The captain and absolute leader of the team is David Alaba. The defender is considered one of the best in the world. The superstar of the team is Marko Arnautović. The 37-year-old striker leads his nation in both goals (47) and all-time caps (132). Other important key players are Marcel Sabitzer, Christoph Baumgartner, and Konrad Laimer, who all play for the top teams in the German Bundesliga.

Full Squad Austria For The 2026 FIFA World Cup

Goalkeepers: Patrick Pentz (Brøndby), Alexander Schlager (Red Bull Salzburg), Florian Wiegele (Viktoria Plzeň)

Defenders: David Affengruber (Elche), David Alaba (Real Madrid), Kevin Danso (Tottenham Hotspur), Marco Friedl (Werder Bremen), Philipp Lienhart (SC Freiburg), Phillipp Mwene (Mainz 05), Stefan Posch (Mainz 05), Alexander Prass (TSG Hoffenheim), Michael Svoboda (Venezia)

Midfielders: Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig), Carney Chukwuemeka (Borussia Dortmund), Florian Grillitsch (Braga), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich), Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund), Xaver Schlager (RB Leipzig), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen), Alessandro Schöpf (Wolfsberger AC), Nicolas Seiwald (RB Leipzig), Paul Wanner (PSV Eindhoven), Patrick Wimmer (VfL Wolfsburg)

Forwards: Marko Arnautović (Red Star Belgrade), Michael Gregoritsch (Augsburg), Saša Kalajdžić (LASK)

Qualification For The 2026 FIFA World Cup

To qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Austria was drawn in a group with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Cyprus, and San Marino. Only the group winner was guaranteed automatic qualification for the World Cup. With five wins in five games, Austria looked flawless in the qualification, but a surprise last-minute defeat against Romania gave the Romanians and Bosnians a chance to close the gap.

Victories for both Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina on November 15, 2025, set the stage for a decisive tenth group match between the two nations in Vienna. Austria needed a draw, but conceded a goal within the first quarter of the game. Thirteen minutes before the end of the game, it was Michael Gregoritsch’s equalizer that was enough for the Austrians to win the group and secure their ticket for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

2026 FIFA World Cup

Austria will play their matches in Group J. The Austrians open their World Cup on June 17 in Santa Clara, California, where they will take on debutant Jordan. Five days later, they take on defending champions Argentina in Arlington, Texas. For their final group stage match, they travel to Kansas City, Missouri, to take on Algeria on June 27. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.

Austria Schedule

• June 17 – Jordan (12 am EST)
• June 22 – Argentina (1 pm EST)
• June 27 – Algeria (10 pm EST)