Austria
Snapshot · 2026-06-11Model 1.0.0UEFA·Groupe J·FIFA #24
High-pressing side.
- Adversaire
- Argentina (#2)
- Clé
- Marcel Sabitzer (MF)
Final squad announced · Austria · 2026-05-19
Source: USA Today ↗Perspectives du tournoi
Analysis
Austria carry a 0.5% probability of winning the tournament (21st of 48). The squad bridges generations: Marko Arnautović (37 at kickoff with 132 caps — probably his final world cup) alongside Paul Wanner, the squad's youngest prospect. Drawn in Group J alongside Argentina, Algeria, Jordan, they are projected at 78.9% to advance to the knockout stage.
How they play
Austria under Ralf Rangnick play a high press game with 53% possession. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 17.0).
Path to success
In Group J alongside Argentina, Algeria, Jordan, Austria are projected at 78.9% to advance from the group stage. Qualification to the knockout rounds is the primary target. The round of 32 probability sits at 27.2%. The expanded 48-team format gives smaller federations more runway, and upsets in the group stage are a fixture of every World Cup.
What they must execute
Austria need their high press to force turnovers in dangerous areas — if opponents can play through the press, the space left behind is vulnerable. Physical conditioning and squad rotation will be critical to sustain pressing intensity across a long tournament. Managing minutes for Marko Arnautović across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.
Controversial take
The model's assessment of Austria broadly aligns with their FIFA ranking — no major disagreement between the two systems for this squad.
Key numbers
How they play
Style vs the 48-team field
High press · style profile from 8 recent matches
What to watch: one of the more intense presses in the field.
Percentiles position Austria against the 48-team field — higher means more of that trait, not better or worse. Press is inverted (lower PPDA = higher press); width uses crossing rate as a proxy; tempo is open-play passes per minute of possession. Descriptive style analytics; does not feed the published probabilities.
Group J finish · Austria
Monte Carlo, 50,000 simsTop two advance to the round of 32; best 8 of 12 third-placed teams also qualify.
- 14.3%1st (group winner)Advances to R32
- 39.6%2nd (runner-up)Advances to R32
- 31.9%3rdAdvances only if among the best 8 of 12 third-placed teams
- 14.1%4thEliminated
Stage progression · Austria
, 50,000 sims- 76.6%AdvAdvance from group
- 27.6%R16Round of 16
- 11.9%QFQuarter-final
- 4.5%SFSemi-final
- 1.6%FFinal
- 0.5%WinWin the tournament
Likely knockout path · Austria
Monte Carlo, 10,000 simsL'effectif
Confirmed squad
Wikipedia call-up pool · snapshot 2026-05-28Roster confirmed by the federation's official squad announcement. The XI/bench split below is the model's composite-rating ordering, not the head coach's lineup.
★ likely first sub badge on the top-3 by first-sub score within each position group, plus a late-game impact rating where club per-90 stats are available.
▸How to read this squad— 4 columns explained
- Pos
- Broad position bucket — GK / DF / MF / FW.
- Caps
- Senior international appearances. Used by the model as a recency-weighted signal of how often the manager calls the player up.
- Stat
- Position-aware stat: career international goals for forwards; career international assists for midfielders (Transfermarkt); latest available Big-5 club season's total tackles for defenders (FBref); latest available Big-5 club season's save percentage for goalkeepers (FBref). Em-dash when no data is joined — most often for defenders and keepers at non-Big-5 clubs.
- Rating
- Composite rating (Model #4) — combines recent caps + goals, recent club xG and xAG per 90, position-relative quality, and call-up priors. Higher = the model thinks the player is more likely to start. Typically 0.9 (depth) to 2.5 (elite).
Selection driver — coloured chips show which input dominates a player's selection score. Caps-driven = selected mainly on international experience. Rating-driven = selected mainly on club performance quality. Jersey-boosted = jersey number from a recent squad snapshot lifted their score. Goals-driven = international goal record was the decisive factor. No chip when the score is a balanced blend.
Squad cohesion
Projected XI · club overlap
- Pairwise club minutes
- 1.13%
- Share of the 55-pair × 3000-minute ceiling. Higher = more of the XI plays together at club level.
- Club concentration
- 0.120
- How concentrated the XI is across clubs. 0.091 = 11 different clubs · 1.000 = all the same club.
- Top-3 clubs share
- 40%
- 4 of 10 play for the three most common clubs in the XI.
Top clubs in projected XI
- Freiburg2
- Real Madrid1
- Atalanta,Bologna1
Most-connected club pair
Philipp Lienhart + Michael Gregoritsch — Freiburg, 2023-24 · 1,867 shared minutes
Descriptive metric — does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →
Squad depth
Projected XI · replaceability
Most irreplaceable starters
- Konrad LaimerFull-backLikely cover: Phillipp Mwene · 0.28Mainz 050.58gap to repl.
- Saša KalajdžićStrikerLikely cover: no natural backupreplacement-level ST ~0.220.57gap to repl.
- Michael GregoritschStrikerLikely cover: no natural backupreplacement-level ST ~0.220.52gap to repl.
Gap to repl. = how far this nation's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named above). Larger = harder to replace.
Descriptive metric — does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →
Calendrier du groupe
Group-stage schedule
Confrontations directes
Histoires à suivre
Storylines
Updated 14 days ago37 at kickoff with 132 caps — probably his final World Cup.
21 of 26 predicted-squad players played in a top-5 European league last season — top-tier league pedigree across the squad.
Converted only 3 of 5 career penalties (60%) — a wasteful record from the spot in knockouts.
First World Cup as head coach, appointed 2022.
Forme et palmarès
Statistical profile
High PressAttack
Defence
GK: Alexander Schlager
Set pieces
Style
Squad
Workload class: low
Attack and defence ratings from the model; style metrics from recent international matches; penalty rates via Bayesian estimation; goalkeeper rating from shot-prevention data. Rank is out of 48 tournament teams.
Where goals come from
Phase of play · scored & conceded
- Open play
- Set piece
- Counter
- Penalty
Share of goals by how the chance began, across 8 matches (Euro2020,Euro2024). Shoot-out kicks are excluded. Descriptive metric — does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →
Group-stage matchups
Probabilities from the calibrated ensemble model. xG from the Dixon–Coles fit. See each fixture page for full analysis.
Rating & probability history
10 snapshots · 2026-05-22 → 2026-06-10Austria trajectory: 10 snapshots between 2026-05-22 and 2026-06-10 (19 days). Elo moved from 1827.0 to 1827.0 (0). Tournament-winner probability moved from 0.1% to 0.4% (+0.3pp).
Each point is one model build. The shaded band is the bootstrap 90% credible interval around the tournament-winner probability.
Recent form (10 matches)
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-31 | HSouth Korea | 1–0 | W | Friendly |
| 2026-03-27 | HGhana | 5–1 | W | Friendly |
| 2025-11-18 | HBosnia and Herzegovina | 1–1 | D | FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2025-11-15 | ACyprus | 2–0 | W | FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2025-10-12 | ARomania | 0–1 | L | FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2025-10-09 | HSan Marino | 10–0 | W | FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2025-09-09 | ABosnia and Herzegovina | 2–1 | W | FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2025-09-06 | HCyprus | 1–0 | W | FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2025-06-10 | ASan Marino | 4–0 | W | FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2025-06-07 | HRomania | 2–1 | W | FIFA World Cup qualification |
martj42 international results (CC0) · last 10 matches · ~2 years.
Head-to-head vs group opponents
| Opponent | Meetings | W-D-L | Last meeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2 | 0-1-1 | 1990 — Draw (1–1) · Friendly |
| Algeria | 1 | 1-0-0 | 1982 — Win (2–0) · FIFA World Cup |
| Jordan | 0 | — | No prior meetings |
All meetings via the martj42 international results dataset.
Major tournaments — most recent appearance
| Tournament | Year | Finish | W-D-L | Since then |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Euro | 2024 | Round of 16 | 2-0-2 |
|
| FIFA World Cup | 1998 | Group stage | 0-2-1 |
|
Source: FIFA archives. Penalty outcomes resolved to W/L.
Most similar past team-tournaments
Closest comparable teams from past major tournaments (1990-2024), by squad strength, group draw, and recent form. Shown for context, not a prediction.
Greece · World Cup 2014
Exited at the round of 16
Comparable pre-tournament strength (Elo 1853) and group draw.
Turkey · Euro 2016
Exited at the group stage
Greece · Euro 2008
Exited at the group stage