Austria national football team

men's national association football team representing Austria

Austria national football team is the national football team of Austria. It is controlled by the Austrian Football Association (German: Österreichischer Fußballbund - ÖFB).

Austria
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Das Team
Burschen
Unsere Burschen
AssociationÖsterreichischer Fußball-Bund (ÖFB)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachFranco Foda[1]
CaptainJulian Baumgartlinger
Most capsAndreas Herzog (103)
Top scorerAnton Polster (44)
Home stadiumErnst-Happel-Stadion
FIFA codeAUT
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 34 Steady (22 December 2022)[2]
Highest10 (March–June 2016)
Lowest105 (July 2008)
First international
 Austria 5–0 Hungary 
(Vienna, Austria; October 12, 1902)
Biggest win
 Austria 9–0 Malta 
(Salzburg, Austria; April 30, 1977)
Biggest defeat
 Austria 1–11 England 
(Vienna, Austria; June 8, 1908)
World Cup
Appearances7 (first in 1934)
Best resultThird place, 1954
European Championship
Appearances2 (first in 2008)
Best resultGroup stage, 2008 and 2016
Medal record

History before the Second World War change

The first official match took place on 12th October 1902 in Vienna when a team from Cisleithanien (Austrian part of the Austrian-Hungary Empire) played versus Hungary. (5:0) The team reached in the 1930s the best time. It was the time of the so-called "Wunderteam" (miracle team) when Austria was one of the leading teams in Europe. The Wunderteam was the first from the continent to defeat Scotland. In 1934 the team was took part in the FIFA world cup for the first time and reached the 4th place. 1936 Austria won the silver medal at the Olympic games in Berlin. Due to the occupation through Germany in 1938 there was no team between 1938 and 1945. The national team was dissolved and the players like Matthias Sindelar became part of the German team.

1945 to 1962 change

Soon after the end of the war the Austrian team played their first matches versus Hungary in Budapest. On December 6th, 1945 the first homematch took place in the renovated Praterstadion (now Ernst-Happel-Stadion). France was beaten by 4:1. Soon Austria was as successful as before the war. In 1951 Scotland was beaten in his own stadium by 1:0. Austria was the first team from the continent to do so. The FIFA World cup 1954 was the most successful ever. A legendary match was the quarterfinal against Switzerland which won Austria 7:5. It is still till today the Worldcup match with the most goals scored. Austria reached the semifinals and was beaten by the later world champion Germany by 1:6. The match for the 3rd place was won by 3:1 versus Uruguay. Players like Gerhard Hanappi, Walter Zeman and Ernst Ocwirk were playing in the FIFA world team. A 0:6 versus the Czech team marked the end of Austrias golden periode.

1962 to present change

The next years Austria was an average team but surprised through notable wins. On was on 20 October 1965 when Austria won in England 3:2. Austria was the third team to do so. In the same year however Austria failed to qualify for the 1966 World Cup. Also the qualification for 1970 was a failure. The qualification for 1974 was missed after a 1:2 versus Sweden in a decider.

After 20 years Austria could qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The last match versus Turkey was won 1:0 through a goal by the later team coach Herbert Prohaska. In the tournament Austria won the groupstage. But after two lost matches versus Netherlands and Italy they failed to reach the final round. The last match was versus Germany in Cordoba. Austria won 3:2 through two goals by Hans Krankl and an own goal by Bertie Vogts. In Austria this is a legendary match. In the 1982 World Cup Austria also played. After two matches with wins versus Algeria and Chile a narrow loss against Germany was enough. Germany had to win to promote to the final round. The match ended 1:0 for Germany and especially in Algeria there were manipulation reproaches. After the 1982 Cup a lot of players ended their career, so Austria failed to reach the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Under coach Josef Hickersberger Austria could qualify for the 1990 World Cup. He called back old players like Herbert Prohaska and mixed them with new players like Andreas Herzog who had only three league matches played before the Championship. After losses versus Italy and Czechoslovakia and a win versus USA they failed in the first round.

Shortly after the World Cup Hickersberger resigned after a 0:1 versus the Faroe Islands in Landskrona, Sweden. On the islands there was no stadium with grass and all the players were pure amateurs. This match was a great disgrace for Austrians team.

The last appearance of an Austrian team in a World Cup tournament was 1998 in France. Austria failed in the qualifing round versus Italy, Chile and Cameroon. As host Austria was qualified for the UEFA Euro 2008 and played versus Poland, Croatia and Germany. After losses versus Germany and Croatia and a draw versus Poland Austria could not qualify for the quarter finals.

Austria failed to qualify for the World Cup 2006 and 2010 and also for the UEFA Euro 2012.

Notable team players change

  • Andreas Herzog:with 103 matches he holds the record of matches for the national team
  • Robert Sara:was voted to the All-Star-Team of the FIFA World Cup 1978
  • Walter Zeman:World goal keeper 1953
  • Herbert Prohaska:played in the 1990 and 1982 team and was coach of the 1998 squad for the World Cups
  • Hans Krankl: he was the star of the 1978 match versus Germany and Europs best scorer
  • Matthias Sindelar: player of the "Wunderteam" one of Austrias best players ever
  • Toni Polster:with 44 goals best scorer of the Austrian team

Team of the century change

To mark the turn of the century, the Kronen Zeitung called for an election for the national team of the (20th) century in 1999.

Walter Zeman
Robert SaraErnst HappelBruno Pezzey
Gerhard HanappiHerbert ProhaskaErnst OcwirkAndreas Herzog
Hans KranklMatthias SindelarToni Polster

Statistics change

  • as 16 October 2023[5]

Team matches change

    • 825
    • Won:346
    • Drawn:176
    • Lost:303
    • Goals1456: 1279 +177
    • The highest victory was a 9:0 versus Malta in a qualifing match for the FIFA World Cup 1978.
    • Top scorer in single match:Hans Krankl 6 versus Malta
    • The highest defeat was a 1:11 versus England on 8th June 1908 in Vienna.
    • Most matches:versus Hungary 136
    • Best result in Fifa World Cup:1954 3rd
    • Visitors: 30.10.1960 Austria - Spain 3:0 91000[6]

Matches change

  1. Marko Arnautovic 108
  2. Andreas Herzog 103
  3. David Alaba 101
  4. Aleksandar Dragovic 100
  5. Anton Polster 95
  6. Gerhard Hanappi 93
  7. Karl Koller 86
  8. Julian Baumgartlinger 84
  9. Friedrich 'Friedl' Koncilia 84
  10. Bruno Pezzey 84
  11. Herbert Prohaska 83
  12. Christian Fuchs 78
  13. Sebastian Prödl 73
  14. Marc Janko 70
  15. Johann Krankl 69
  16. Heribert Weber 68
  17. Martin Harnik 68
  18. Martin Hinteregger 67
  19. Peter Stöger 65[7]

Top scorer change

  1. Anton Polster 44
  2. Johann Krankl 34
  3. Johann Horvath 29
  4. Erich Hof 28
  5. Anton Schall 27
  6. Matthias Sindelar 26
  7. Andreas Herzog 26
  8. Karl Zischek 24
  9. Walter Schachner 23
  10. Theodor Wagner 22

Manager history change

Name Nationality From To P W D L GF GA Win%[8] Notes
Hugo Meisl   Austria-Hungary 22 December 1912 3 October 1914 6 3 1 2 11 9 50.00
Heinrich Retschury   Austria-Hungary 4 October 1914 1 August 1919 22 8 3 11 45 47 36.36
Hugo Meisl   Austria 1 August 1919 17 February 1937 127 68 29 30 326 206 53.54 Created the Wunderteam.
4th place at the 1934 World Cup.
Winners of the 1932 Central European International Cup.
Runners-up of the 1930 and 1935 Central European International Cup.
Heinrich Retschury   Austria 22 May 1937 24 October 1937 5 2 1 2 10 10 40.00 Qualified for the 1938 World Cup.
From 1938 to 1945 there was no national team due to Anschluss.
Karl Zankl   Austria 19 August 1945 3 October 1945 2 0 0 2 2 7 0.00 Died while in the position of national coach.
Edi Bauer   Austria 3 October 1945 4 March 1948 11 4 0 7 26 28 36.36
Eduard Frühwirth   Austria 4 March 1948 1 September 1948 5 3 0 2 9 9 60.00
Walter Nausch   Austria 1 September 1948 15 November 1954 47 21 10 16 119 87 44.68 3rd place at the 1954 World Cup.
Hans Kaulich   Austria 15 November 1954 28 March 1955 1 0 0 1 2 3 0.00
Josef Molzer   Austria 29 March 1955 3 September 1955 3 1 1 1 6 8 33.33
Karl Geyer   Austria 3 September 1955 21 April 1956 5 2 0 3 8 14 40.00
Josef Argauer
Josef Molzer
  Austria
  Austria
21 April 1956 9 August 1958 18 7 6 5 37 27 38.89 Qualified for the 1958 World Cup.
Alfred Frey
Franz Putzendopler
Egon Selzer
Josef Molzer



  Austria
9 August 1958 15 October 1958 2 0 0 2 4 6 0.00
Karl Decker   Austria 16 October 1958 28 February 1964 36 16 3 17 60 67 44.44
Josef Walter
Béla Guttmann

  Austria
7 March 1964 11 October 1964 5 3 1 1 6 5 60.00
Eduard Frühwirth   Austria 20 November 1964 13 January 1967 15 4 3 8 12 23 26.67
Erwin Alge
Hans Pesser

  Austria
13 January 1967 24 June 1968 10 3 2 5 18 19 30.00
Leopold Šťastný   Czechoslovakia 1 July 1968 30 September 1975 49 15 16 18 58 62 30.61
Branko Elsner
(caretaker)
  Yugoslavia 6 October 1975 19 November 1975 2 1 0 1 6 3 50.00
Helmut Senekowitsch   Austria 1 March 1976 30 June 1978 26 14 4 8 40 26 53.85 Qualified for the 1978 World Cup.
Karl Stotz   Austria 1 August 1978 14 December 1981 24 13 6 5 43 25 30.61 Qualified for the 1982 World Cup.
Georg Schmidt
Felix Latzke
  Austria
  Austria
5 February 1982 2 July 1982 8 5 1 2 11 7 30.61
Erich Hof   Austria 7 September 1982 21 November 1984 15 6 3 6 22 20 30.61
Branko Elsner   Yugoslavia 15 January 1985 18 November 1987 18 5 5 8 20 28 27.78
Josef Hickersberger   Austria 1 January 1988 14 September 1990 29 10 7 12 36 39 34.48 Qualified for the 1990 World Cup.
Alfred Riedl   Austria 15 September 1990 10 October 1991 8 1 3 4 6 16 12.5
Dietmar Constantini
(caretaker)
  Austria 10 October 1991 13 November 1991 2 0 0 2 1 4 0.00
Ernst Happel   Austria 1 Januar 1992 14 November 1992 9 2 3 4 18 17 30.61
Dietmar Constantini (caretaker)   Austria 15 November 1992 18 November 1992 1 0 1 0 0 0 30.61
Herbert Prohaska   Austria 8 January 1993 29 March 1999 51 25 9 17 96 73 49.02 Qualified for the 1998 World Cup.
Otto Barić   Austria 13 April 1999 21 November 2001 22 7 6 9 31 35 31.82
Hans Krankl   Austria 21 January 2002 28 September 2005 31 10 10 11 47 46 32.26
Willibald Ruttensteiner
Andreas Herzog
Slavko Kovacic
(caretakers)
  Austria
  Austria
  Austria
30 September 2005 December 2005 2 1 0 1 2 1 50.00
Josef Hickersberger   Austria 1 January 2006 23 June 2008 24 5 8 11 29 40 20.83
Karel Brückner   Czech Republic 25 July 2008 2 March 2009 6 1 2 3 9 13 16.67
Dietmar Constantini   Austria 4 March 2009 1 November 2009 20 7 2 11 ? ? 35
Marcel Koller    Switzerland 1 November 2009 9 October 2017 54 25 13 16 ? ? 46.3 Qualified for the Euro 2016.
Franco Foda   Germany 14 November 2017 30 March 2022 46 27 5 14 ? ? 58.7 Qualified for the Euro 2020.
Ralf Rangnick   Germany 29 April 2022 8 3 1 4 ? ? 37.5

Gallery change

References change

  1. Austria appoint Franco Foda as new national team manager. Retrieved 2 November 2017. ESPN.
  2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  3. After 1988, the tournament has been restricted to squads with no more than 3 players over the age of 23, and these matches are not regarded as part of the national team's record, nor are caps awarded.
  4. Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  5. Football in Austria (German)
  6. austriasoccer.at
  7. Fußball in Österreich (German)
  8. Win% is rounded to two decimal places

Other websites change