Austria World Cup 2026 squad: Ralf Rangnick's final 26-man selection (original) (raw)

Austria World Cup 2026 squad: Austria players celebrate

Austria players celebrate in front of the fans after qualifying for the World Cup (Image credit: Christian Hofer/Getty Images)

The Austria World Cup squad will complete a long overdue return to the World Cup when they take on Jordan in June.

Considering their heritage and history, it's somewhat surprising that World Cup 2026 will be Austria's first this century – but Das Team have drawn one of the favourites in the form of defending champions Argentina and stand a good chance of going through to the knockouts.

Ralf Rangnick hasn't named one of the more notable squads in the tournament but there are big names in his team and several ‘last dances’ to be had.

Real Madrid star David Alaba is now 33 and heading Stateside to captain this group, with 37-year-old Marko Arnautovic his vice-captain: Marcel Sabitzer rounds off the leadership group.

Elsewhere, there are stars coming into their prime: Kevin Danso has had a bad season but is still relied on in this side, Konrad Laimer is a starter for Bayern Munich, and David Affengruber is a target for top sides.

Meanwhile, former England youth superstar Carney Chukwuemeka has changed allegiances and will be battling for a spot in midfield with RB Leipzig trio Christoph Baumgartner, Xavier Schlager and Nicolas Seiwald.

Prospects Leopold Querfeld and Samson Baidoo miss out, however, along with Max Wober and Andreas Weimann.

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Squad

Austria World Cup 2026 squad: the final selection

Fixtures and results

Fixtures

Recent results

Group J standings

Austria are in Group J at World Cup 2026.

Manager

Who is Austria's manager?

Austria Euro 2024 squad Ralf Rangnick, Head Coach of Austria, celebrates after the team's victory in the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Poland and Austria at Olympiastadion on June 21, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Joosep Martinson - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Ralf Rangnick is a legend of coaching (Image credit: Getty Images)

Ralf Rangnick, now 67, has been in coaching for more than 40 years. The Austrian national team job is the German’s first permanent head coach role outside his home nation but his dugout CV barely scratches the surface.

Rangnick has managed Stuttgart, Hannover, Schalke and Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga but has also followed an unorthodox path since the turn of the century, taking on a temporary role in England with Manchester United in 2021 as well as leading the expansion and development strategy for Red Bull.

He was appointed as Franco Foda’s successor in the Austria job in 2022 and has secured qualification for two consecutive major tournaments. None of his predecessors can make the same claim.

Star player

Who is Austria's star player?

Marko Arnautovic of Austria celebrates scoring his team's third goal from a penalty kick with teammates during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Poland and Austria at Olympiastadion on June 21, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.

Marko Arnautovic celebrates scoring at Euro 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)

He’ll be 37 years old by the time the World Cup begins but Marko Arnautovic will finally get his moment at the greatest show on Earth and it seems like exactly the kind of stage that will suit him.

There are other major stars in the Austria squad but Arnautovic is a hogger of the spotlight and goes into the World Cup having scored twice as many goals in qualifying as teammate Michael Gregoritsch.

The former Inter Milan and West Ham United forward is a giant of modern Austrian football. He holds the records for the most caps and the most goals, including eight in Group H to help take Das Team back to the World Cup finals. Arnautovic has had a remarkable, fascinating career. He’ll be confident of going out on a high.

Best XI

Based in Vienna, Simon has covered all things Austrian football as a member of The Other Bundesliga alongside Lee Wingate and Tom Middler since 2018. Prior to his move to Austria, he was a freelance sports journalist in his native Gloucestershire writing about football, rugby and cricket. A keen traveller, he has been to almost 70 countries, watching football in 32 of them, and has attended five major tournaments. Simon has been a lifelong season ticket holder at Gloucester City, supports Everton from afar, and has an affinity with his now-local club First Vienna.