"Crown" stoplight

The 1998 World Cup heralded the beginning!

"A World Cup completes every career!" A statement that David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic probably underline. Ralf Rangnick also has one goal in mind: for Austria to punch their ticket for the mammoth 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA! So that Alaba and Arnautovic can tick this item off their checklist.

Don't be left in awe
At first glance at the draw pots, Red-White-Red don't really need to be in awe of their potential opponents. The national team has presented itself too convincingly in recent years, and the qualification for the European Championship in Germany was mastered too confidently.

A damn long time ago. Herbert Prohaska led Austria to the last World Cup in 1998. Current guarantors of success such as Christoph Baumgartner were not even born, the stars of the time were Andi Herzog, Toni Polster, Ivica Vastic or Didi Kühbauer. A new soccer era was ushered in.

Provisional (?) fan highlight around the European Championships
Like Italy in 1990, tens of thousands of fans made the pilgrimage to France for the preliminary round matches, but the spectacle was staged on a grand scale at home for the first time. Public viewings celebrated their acclaimed premiere from Eisenstadt to Bregenz, and operators of catering and merchandising stands rubbed their hands with glee.

The atmosphere surrounding this summer's European Championships was at its peak for the time being, and Austria's first World Cup participation in 28 years could even top this dimension.