Austria World Cup Squad 2026: Full 26-Player Roster

Ralf Rangnick named the Austria World Cup Squad 2026 on May 18, a final 26-man roster for Das Team’s first FIFA World Cup since 1998. David Alaba captains the side, with all-time record scorer Marko Arnautovic, 37, as vice-captain after 132 caps and 47 goals. Austria open Group J against Jordan on June 16 in Santa Clara.

Fourteen of the 26 play in the German Bundesliga, reflecting Rangnick’s roots in that system, with RB Leipzig’s Xaver Schlager, Nicolas Seiwald and Christoph Baumgartner anchoring midfield. Naturalised talents Paul Wanner (PSV Eindhoven) and Carney Chukwuemeka (Borussia Dortmund) add youth. Austria arrive ranked 24th in the world for an eighth World Cup appearance.

Below is the full roster, schedule, qualifying route, head coach profile and Group J outlook.

Austria World Cup Squad 2026: Full 26-Player Roster

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. Squad confirmed May 18, 2026.

For all 48 team final selections, see World Cup 2026 squads list.

Quick Stats

• Average age: 28.1 years
• Most-capped / top scorer: Marko Arnautovic (132 caps, 47 goals)
• Youngest: Paul Wanner (20)  |  Oldest: Marko Arnautovic (37)
• German Bundesliga players: 14
• Naturalised dual-nationals: Paul Wanner, Carney Chukwuemeka

Key Players to Watch

Marko Arnautovic (Red Star Belgrade): Austria’s record scorer (47) and most-capped player (132) reaches his first World Cup at 37. He hit eight of Austria’s qualifying goals, including four in the 10-0 win over San Marino, and leads the line as Rangnick’s target man.

David Alaba (Real Madrid): The captain returns from a long knee injury to anchor the defence as left centre-back. With 111 caps, his composure on the ball gives Austria’s backline a calm reference point.

Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund): Austria’s second-highest scorer (24 goals) drives the midfield with box-to-box energy and pressing aggression, and remains one of Rangnick’s most trusted players.

Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich): The engine of Rangnick’s press. The Bayern man covers more ground than almost anyone in the squad and sets the tempo for Austria’s high-intensity game.

Paul Wanner (PSV Eindhoven): Fast-tracked at 20 after switching from Germany’s youth setup, the attacking midfielder brings direct, progressive running and genuine creativity off the bench or in the starting XI.

Notable omissions include Leopold Querfeld, Samson Baidoo, Maximilian Wober and Andreas Weimann.

Austria World Cup 2026 Schedule and Fixtures

Austria play all three Group J games in the United States. Kick-off times are shown in local US time, US Eastern (ET) and Central European Summer Time (CEST) for fans back home.

Date	Opponent	Venue	Local	ET	CEST
June 16	Jordan	Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara	9:00 p.m. PT	12:00 a.m.*	6:00 a.m.*
June 22	Argentina	AT&T Stadium, Arlington	12:00 p.m. CT	1:00 p.m.	7:00 p.m.
June 27	Algeria	Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City	9:00 p.m. CT	10:00 p.m.	4:00 a.m.**

*The Jordan game kicks off 9:00 p.m. PT on June 16; that is past midnight in the East and Europe, so the ET and CEST times fall on June 17. **The Algeria match ends in the early hours of June 28 CEST. Times follow the official FIFA schedule confirmed at the December 5, 2025 draw in Washington D.C.

Austria warmed up with a 5-1 win over Ghana and a 1-0 win over South Korea in March, then a home friendly against Tunisia on June 1 in Vienna before flying out. See the full calendar on our World Cup 2026 schedule page.

How Austria Qualified for World Cup 2026

Austria won UEFA qualifying Group H with 19 points from eight games, finishing two clear of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahead of Romania, Cyprus and San Marino. Rangnick’s side won six, scored 22 and conceded just four, with their only loss a 1-0 defeat in Bucharest on October 12, 2025.

The signature result was a 10-0 rout of San Marino in Vienna on October 9, 2025, with four from Arnautovic. Qualification was sealed on November 18, 2025 with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia, Michael Gregoritsch equalising in the 77th minute to lock up top spot and Austria’s first World Cup place in 28 years.

Head Coach: Ralf Rangnick

Ralf Rangnick, 67, took charge of Austria in 2022 after succeeding Franco Foda and has now qualified the country for two straight major tournaments. The German previously managed Stuttgart, Hannover, Schalke and Hoffenheim, had an interim spell at Manchester United in 2021/22, and spent years shaping the Red Bull football network that developed several of his current players, including Sabitzer, Laimer, Seiwald, Baumgartner and Xaver Schlager.

His Austria play an intense 4-2-3-1 built on gegenpressing and a high defensive line, winning the ball back within seconds and building quickly through the thirds. He guided the team to the Euro 2024 round of 16, and the World Cup is the next step.

Group J at a Glance

Austria face Argentina, Algeria and Jordan in Group J. The top two advance to the round of 32, along with the eight best third-placed teams. See the full breakdown on our World Cup 2026 groups page.

Team	FIFA Ranking	World Cup Appearances	Best Finish
Argentina	1	19	Winner (1978, 1986, 2022)
Austria	24	8	Third place (1954)
Algeria	29	5	Round of 16 (2014)
Jordan	63	1	Debut (2026)

FIFA rankings as of June 2026.

Argentina are the defending champions and clear favourites to top the group. Algeria (29th) are dangerous on the counter and look the main rival for second. Jordan (63rd), on debut, are Austria’s most realistic source of three points. Beating Jordan and competing with Algeria should put a round-of-32 place within reach.

FAQ About the Austria World Cup Squad 2026

The Austria World Cup Squad 2026 is disciplined, Bundesliga-hardened and built on a pressing system Rangnick has run for more than three years.

Getting out of the group is the realistic target: three points against Jordan, a live chance against Algeria, and a free hit at Argentina.

If the press clicks early and Arnautovic stays sharp, Austria can reach the knockout rounds and make their first World Cup since 1998 a statement.