Rangnick announces

LIVESTREAM: This ÖFB squad should win a World Cup ticket!

ÖFB team manager Ralf Rangnick has announced the squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.(Bild: GEPA)

Team boss Ralf Rangnick has announced the ÖFB squad for the upcoming final qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. With these players, the ticket for a World Cup final round should be secured for the first time since 1998. Captain David Alaba and the recently injured Xaver Schlager from RB Leipzig are also included. One newcomer has also made it into the squad.

Here is the ÖFB squad:

Austria's soccer team boss Ralf Rangnick is refraining from experimenting in the decisive World Cup qualifiers. David Alaba is included despite his recent calf problems, Xaver Schlager returns after recovering from muscle soreness. Otherwise, there is only one newcomer compared to the October squad with Elversberg goalkeeper Nicolas Kristof. The ÖFB team will fight for their first World Cup participation since 1998 on November 15 away against Cyprus and on November 18 in Vienna against Bosnia.

The ticket could be secured with a win against Cyprus, provided the Bosnians do not manage a home win against Romania just three hours later. Phillipp Mwene and Alaba will be missing on the Mediterranean island, both are suspended. Austria lead Group H with two rounds to go, two points ahead of Bosnia and five points ahead of Romania. First place will travel to the World Cup in North America next year, while second place will compete in the play-off.

Here is the squad in detail:
Goal: Nicolas Kristof (SV Elversberg/0 international caps), Patrick Pentz (Brøndby/17), Nikolas Polster (WAC/0), Alexander Schlager (Red Bull Salzburg/22)

Defense: David Alaba (Real Madrid/111/15 goals), Kevin Danso (Tottenham/28/0), Marco Friedl (Werder Bremen/7/0), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg/36/3), Phillipp Mwene (Mainz/26/0), Stefan Posch (Como/47/4), Alexander Prass (Hoffenheim/16/0), Leopold Querfeld (Union Berlin/5/0)

ÖFB team manager Ralf Rangnick(Bild: GEPA)

Midfield: Christoph Baumgartner (Leipzig/54/19), Florian Grillitsch (Braga/57/1), Marco Grüll (Werder Bremen/7/0), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich/53/7), Marcel Sabitzer (Dortmund/93/23), Xaver Schlager (Leipzig/47/4), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen/29/3), Alessandro Schöpf (WAC/34/6), Nicolas Seiwald (Leipzig/42/0), Patrick Wimmer (Wolfsburg/26/1)

Attack: Marko Arnautovic (Red Star Belgrade/128/45), Raul Florucz (St. Gilloise/3/0), Michael Gregoritsch (Brøndby/70/22), Nikolaus Wurmbrand (Rapid/1/1)

On call: Niklas Hedl (Rapid/1), Lukas Jungwirth (LASK/0) - David Affengruber (Moose/0), Flavius Daniliuc (Basel/3/0), Michael Svoboda (Venezia/2/0), Nikolas Veratschnig (Mainz/0), Thierno Ballo (Millwall/1/0), Muhammed Cham (Slavia Prague/5/0), Florian Kainz (Cologne/28/1), Dejan Ljubicic (Dinamo Zagreb/9/1), Matthias Seidl (Rapid/8/1), Kevin Stöger (Mönchengladbach/5/0), Andreas Weimann (Derby County/26/2), Junior Adamu (Freiburg/9/0), Elias Havel (Hartberg/0), Mathias Honsak (Heidenheim/1/0), Ercan Kara (Rapid/7/0)