Ralf Rangnick announced the Austria World Cup Squad 2026 on May 18, naming 26 players for Das Team’s first World Cup since 1998. David Alaba captains the side as Austria end a 28-year absence from football’s biggest tournament. Marko Arnautovic, Austria’s all-time record scorer with 47 goals and 132 caps, gets his first World Cup chance at 37.
The squad draws 14 players from the German Bundesliga, a number that reflects Rangnick’s deep ties to that ecosystem. Three RB Leipzig midfielders, Xaver Schlager, Nicolas Seiwald, and Christoph Baumgartner, form the midfield core. Newly naturalised dual-nationals Paul Wanner and Carney Chukwuemeka add youthful depth. Austria arrive ranked 24th in the world as of April 1, 2026, for an eighth World Cup appearance.
This is your full Austria World Cup Squad 2026 list, schedule, and Group J breakdown.
Austria 26-Player Squad for World Cup 2026
| Position | Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Patrick Pentz | Brondby | 29 |
| GK | Alexander Schlager | Red Bull Salzburg | 30 |
| GK | Florian Wiegele | Viktoria Plzen | 25 |
| DF | David Affengruber | Elche | 26 |
| DF | David Alaba (C) | Real Madrid | 33 |
| DF | Kevin Danso | Tottenham Hotspur | 27 |
| DF | Marco Friedl | Werder Bremen | 28 |
| DF | Philipp Lienhart | SC Freiburg | 29 |
| DF | Phillipp Mwene | Mainz 05 | 32 |
| DF | Stefan Posch | Mainz 05 | 29 |
| DF | Alexander Prass | TSG Hoffenheim | 25 |
| DF | Michael Svoboda | Venezia | 27 |
| MF | Christoph Baumgartner | RB Leipzig | 26 |
| MF | Carney Chukwuemeka | Borussia Dortmund | 22 |
| MF | Florian Grillitsch | Braga | 30 |
| MF | Konrad Laimer | Bayern Munich | 29 |
| MF | Marcel Sabitzer | Borussia Dortmund | 32 |
| MF | Xaver Schlager | RB Leipzig | 28 |
| MF | Romano Schmid | Werder Bremen | 26 |
| MF | Alessandro Schopf | Wolfsberger AC | 32 |
| MF | Nicolas Seiwald | RB Leipzig | 24 |
| MF | Paul Wanner | PSV Eindhoven | 20 |
| MF | Patrick Wimmer | VfL Wolfsburg | 25 |
| FW | Marko Arnautovic (VC) | Red Star Belgrade | 37 |
| FW | Michael Gregoritsch | Augsburg | 32 |
| FW | Sasa Kalajdzic | LASK | 28 |
(C) = captain, (VC) = vice-captain. Ages as of June 11, 2026. Squad confirmed May 18, 2026.
For all 48 team final selections, see our World Cup 2026 squads tracker.
Quick Stats
Austria’s 26-man squad mixes veteran leadership with a new generation of international talent.
- Average age: 28.1 years
- Most-capped player: Marko Arnautovic (132 caps)
- Top scorer in squad: Marko Arnautovic (47 international goals)
- German Bundesliga players: 14 (Sabitzer, Chukwuemeka, Laimer, X. Schlager, Seiwald, Baumgartner, Gregoritsch, Wimmer, Friedl, Schmid, Mwene, Posch, Prass, Lienhart)
- Youngest player: Paul Wanner (20)
- Oldest player: Marko Arnautovic (37)
- Newly naturalised: Paul Wanner (PSV Eindhoven), Carney Chukwuemeka (Borussia Dortmund)
Key Players to Watch
Marko Arnautovic, Red Star Belgrade
He turns 37 before the tournament opens. Arnautovic is Austria’s all-time record holder in caps (132) and goals (47). He scored eight of the team’s 22 qualifying goals, including four in the 10-0 win over San Marino in October 2025. This World Cup is his first and almost certainly his only one. Rangnick trusts him as the central target man.
David Alaba (C), Real Madrid
Alaba captains Austria with 111 caps across more than a decade of international service. A long-term knee injury limited his Real Madrid appearances in 2024/25, but he’s fit and selected. He plays as a left centre-back in Rangnick’s four-man defence. His reading of the game and composure in possession give Austria’s backline an anchor that goes beyond physical ability.
Marcel Sabitzer, Borussia Dortmund
Sabitzer is Austria’s second-highest scorer with 24 international goals from 95 caps. He scored the decisive goal in the 2-1 qualifying win over Romania in June 2025 and is one of Rangnick’s most trusted players. His box-to-box energy, pressing aggression, and late runs into goalscoring positions make him the complete midfielder in this system.
Konrad Laimer, Bayern Munich
Laimer is Rangnick’s pressing machine. The 29-year-old runs further, harder, and for longer than almost anyone in the squad. He moved to Bayern Munich in 2023 and brought that top-level intensity back into Austrian football. His goal in the 10-0 rout of San Marino and his overall work rate throughout qualifying made him indispensable to the plan.
Paul Wanner, PSV Eindhoven
Wanner committed his international future to Austria in 2025 after representing Germany at youth level and was fast-tracked into the squad at just 20. The attacking midfielder delivered one of the Eredivisie’s standout young performances at PSV this season. He gives Austria something different: direct, progressive play with genuine creativity. Rangnick doesn’t select players just to make up numbers.
Austria World Cup 2026 Schedule
Austria plays all three group-stage games in the United States. Kick-off times are listed in Eastern Time (ET) and Central European Summer Time (CEST) for fans back home.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Kickoff (ET) | Kickoff (CEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 17 | Jordan | San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi’s Stadium), Santa Clara | 12:00 a.m. | 6:00 a.m. |
| June 22 | Argentina | Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington | 1:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. |
| June 27 | Algeria | Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium), Kansas City | 10:00 p.m. | 4:00 a.m.* |
*Algeria match ends in the early hours of June 28 for fans in Central Europe. CEST = UTC+2.
All kick-off times follow the official FIFA match schedule, confirmed at the December 5, 2025 draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Austria played a pre-tournament friendly at home against Tunisia on June 1 in Vienna before flying to North America. Check the full fixture calendar on our World Cup 2026 schedule page.
How Austria Qualified for World Cup 2026
Austria topped UEFA qualifying Group H with 19 points from eight matches, finishing two points clear of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The group also included Romania, Cyprus, and San Marino. Austria joined the campaign in June 2025 after their Nations League play-off commitments in March delayed the start of their qualifying fixtures.
Rangnick’s team dominated. Six wins from eight games, 22 goals scored, and just four conceded tells the story. The only defeat came in Bucharest on October 12, 2025, where Romania won 1-0. It was one of the very few times Austria looked vulnerable across the entire campaign.
The standout result was the 10-0 demolition of San Marino at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on October 9, 2025. Arnautovic scored four, Stefan Posch grabbed two, and Romano Schmid, Konrad Laimer, Christoph Baumgartner, and Michael Gregoritsch all added their names to the scoresheet. It wasn’t just the scoreline: Austria pressed San Marino into chaos from the first minute and never let up.
Qualification was confirmed on November 18, 2025, with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia in Vienna. Gregoritsch’s equaliser in the 77th minute sealed top spot. Austria went home that night knowing they’d ended a 28-year wait for a World Cup place.
Head Coach: Ralf Rangnick
Ralf Rangnick is 67 at the start of the tournament and brings more than four decades of coaching experience to the job. The German took charge of Austria in 2022, replacing Franco Foda. Before the national team job, he managed Stuttgart, Hannover, Schalke, and Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga, building a reputation as one of football’s great tactical thinkers.
Rangnick spent years leading the Red Bull global football network as a sporting director, a role that shaped almost an entire generation of Austrian footballers. Several squad members, including Sabitzer, Laimer, Seiwald, Baumgartner, and Xaver Schlager, were developed within that system. He also served as Manchester United’s interim manager in 2021/22, but short-term caretaker work never showed what he does best.
At Austria, Rangnick favours a 4-2-3-1 with a high defensive line and intense gegenpressing triggers. The team presses to win the ball back within seconds of losing it and builds quickly through the thirds. He guided Austria to Euro 2024 and reached the round of 16. The World Cup is the natural next step for a coach who has restructured Austrian football from the ground up.
Group J at a Glance
Austria opens Group J alongside Argentina, Algeria, and Jordan in what is the side’s toughest test in 28 years. The top two sides from each group advance to the round of 32, with the eight best third-placed teams also progressing. See the full breakdown on our World Cup 2026 groups page.
| Team | FIFA Ranking | World Cup Appearances | Best Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 3 | 19 | Winner (1978, 1986, 2022) |
| Algeria | 35 | 5 | Round of 16 (2014) |
| Austria | 24 | 8 | Third place (1954) |
| Jordan | 66 | 1 | Debut (2026) |
Rankings as of April 1, 2026 (next update June 11, 2026).
Argentina are the defending world champions and heavy favourites to top the group. Algeria (35th) are experienced and dangerous on the counter, having reached the Round of 16 at their last World Cup appearance in 2014. Jordan (66th) make their World Cup debut and represent Austria’s clearest route to three points. A second-place finish is possible if Austria beat Jordan and Algeria and keep the Argentina damage to a minimum.
FAQ About Austria World Cup Squad 2026
What is Austria’s nickname?
Austria’s national team is nicknamed Das Team, a German phrase meaning “The Team.” It reflects Rangnick’s collective, system-driven approach where pressing intensity and structure define the national identity more than any individual star.
Which US channel broadcasts Austria’s World Cup 2026 matches?
All Austria matches at the 2026 World Cup air on the FOX family of networks in the United States, including FOX and FS1. Games are also available via the FOX Sports app for streaming on mobile and connected devices.
Have Austria and Argentina ever played at a FIFA World Cup?
No. Austria and Argentina have met three times in total, all in friendly matches, with the most recent a 1-1 draw in 1990. The 2026 group-stage meeting in Dallas on June 22 is their first competitive fixture at a World Cup.
What is Austria’s head-to-head World Cup record against Algeria?
Austria beat Algeria 2-0 in the group stage of the 1982 World Cup in Spain. That remains the only competitive meeting between the two sides, giving Austria a winning record heading into the June 27 rematch in Kansas City.
What kit does Austria wear at the 2026 World Cup?
Austria wear their traditional red home kit and a white away kit at the 2026 World Cup. Red has been Austria’s dominant colour since the 1920s, and the kit honours that heritage as Das Team return to the tournament stage after 28 years away.
Austria’s World Cup 2026 Hopes
This Austria World Cup Squad 2026 is disciplined, well-drilled, and built on a system that’s been running for over three years. Rangnick has turned the squad into a cohesive unit rather than a collection of individuals. The Bundesliga-heavy group knows how to press, how to transition, and how to grind out results when games go tight.
Getting out of the group is the realistic minimum. Austria can target three points each from Jordan and Algeria, with the Argentina fixture on June 22 a bonus challenge. If Arnautovic stays sharp and the press clicks from the first game, Austria could reach the round of 16 and make this World Cup return a genuine statement. Twenty-eight years of absence ends in North America.
