Austria's World Cup Qualification: A Dream Or Reality?

Austria failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. They were placed in UEFA Group F, consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Israel, Moldova, and Scotland. Austria finished fourth in their group and advanced to the second round (play-offs), where they lost 2-1 to Wales in the semi-final. This defeat meant that Austria did not qualify for the World Cup, leading to the resignation of their coach, Franco Foda.

Austria's 2022 World Cup qualifying group

Austria's men's team were placed in UEFA Group F for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The group consisted of six teams: Austria, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Israel, Moldova, and Scotland. The teams played each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. Denmark won the group, qualifying directly for the World Cup finals, while Scotland and Austria finished second and fourth, respectively, and advanced to the second round (play-offs). Austria ended their qualifying campaign with a 4-1 win over Moldova, finishing with 16 points.

Austria's women's team, meanwhile, faced England in a World Cup qualifier in September 2022. England won the match 2-0, securing their qualification for the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Austria's 2022 World Cup play-off defeat

Austria's men's football team has played in seven World Cup final tournaments, most recently in 1998. They did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Austria qualified for the 2022 World Cup play-offs as one of the two best group winners from the UEFA Nations League who did not finish in the top two of their qualifying section. In the play-off semi-final, they faced Wales in Cardiff.

Wales had doubts over the fitness of their captain, Gareth Bale, who had only played 77 minutes of competitive football since November. However, Bale delivered for his country, scoring two spectacular goals. He curled in a free-kick in the first half and finished with a snap shot into the corner after the break. Marcel Sabitzer pulled one back for Austria with a deflected shot off Ben Davies, but Wales held on to win 2-1.

Wales then faced Ukraine in the play-off final, which had been postponed due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A win would have seen them reach the World Cup for the first time since 1958. However, they lost 1-0 and Ukraine qualified for the World Cup instead.

Austria's head coach Franco Foda

Franco Foda is a German football manager and former player. He was born on 23 April 1966 and has appeared in over 400 top-flight matches in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Foda played for 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the 1980s and won two caps for the West Germany national team under coach Franz Beckenbauer. He played against Argentina and Brazil in late 1987. During his first international appearance, on 12 December 1987 in Brasilia against Brazil, Foda was at the centre of controversy. He was met with great applause by the Brazilian fans, only finding out the next day that this was due to his name translating to "free intercourse" in Portuguese.

Foda moved into coaching with Sturm Graz as an assistant coach. He had a short stint as interim head coach in 2002 before becoming the permanent head coach until they hired Gilbert Gress in 2003. Foda then coached the reserve team before being promoted to head coach of the first team in 2006. Under Foda, Sturm Graz won the 2010-11 Bundesliga and the 2009-10 Austrian Cup. He was originally scheduled to leave after the 2011-12 season but was sacked in April 2012 after the club was knocked out of the Austrian Cup.

Foda then had a short spell at 1. FC Kaiserslautern before returning to Sturm Graz in 2014. In October 2017, it was announced that Foda would become the manager of the Austria national team, starting in January 2018. He was the first German to be hired by the national team in its 113-year history. As the coach of the Austria national team, Foda won a playoff against Moldova in 2021. However, he resigned from the position in March 2022 after failing to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup following a defeat to Wales in Cardiff.

Austria's 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign results

Austria's men's national football team has participated in seven World Cup finals tournaments, most recently in 1998. They did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

In the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, Austria finished fourth in Group F with 16 points. Their final match was a 4-1 win over Moldova. Despite not finishing in the top two spots in their group, Austria still had a chance to qualify for the World Cup via the play-offs in March. They were one of the two best group winners from the UEFA Nations League who did not finish in the top two of their qualifying section.

Austria has a rich history in the World Cup, dating back to the first edition of the tournament in 1930, where they chose not to participate. In 1934, they reached the semi-finals, losing 0-1 to hosts and eventual champions Italy. In 1938, they qualified but were incorporated into the German system after the Anschluss. Nine Austrian players joined the Germany national squad.

In 1954, Austria reached the group stage, defeating Czechoslovakia 5-0. They also participated in the 1958, 1990, and 1998 World Cups, reaching the group stage each time.

Austria's women's national football team also had a successful run in their 2023 World Cup qualifying campaign. They finished as runners-up in their group behind England, who they lost to 2-0 in their final qualifier.

Austria's 2022 World Cup qualifying group opponents

Austria was placed in Group F during the qualification rounds for the 2022 World Cup. The other teams in this group were Denmark, Scotland, Israel, Faroe Islands, and Moldova.

Austria finished fourth in their group, behind Denmark, Scotland, and Israel. They were well-beaten at home by Denmark and lost in Israel. They also lost at home to Scotland in September.

Despite their poor performance in the group stage, Austria still had a chance to qualify for the World Cup through the play-offs. They were placed in a play-off group with Wales, Scotland, and Ukraine.

Austria faced Wales in the semi-final of the play-offs, losing 2-1 and ending their hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

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