28 years of waiting! Rangnick led Austria to the first place in the group with a goal difference of +18, and they directly advanced with a tie in the final round.

Sports 9:22am, 16 November 2025 55

In the European preliminaries of the World Cup, Austria defeated Cyprus 2-0 and currently leads Group H with 2 points. Austria faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final round. If they draw, they can directly advance to the World Cup.

Under the leadership of Rangnick, Austria has 18 points in the World Cup preliminaries with 6 wins and 1 loss in 7 games, and a goal difference of 18. If they can go undefeated against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final round of the group stage, they can return to the World Cup after 28 years. Austria last qualified for the World Cup in 1998.

Rangnick has mainly coached in the Bundesliga during his career. He has also coached Manchester United in the Premier League. After leaving the Red Devils, he began to lead the Austrian team in 2022.