Austria is in the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time since 1982, and they got there the hard way. A 96th-minute equalizer against Algeria from a guy who has torn his ACL three times in five years. That’s the story.
Now they face Spain at the Los Angeles Stadium, and if you’ve been paying attention to European club soccer, you’ll recognize more than a few names on Ralf Rangnick’s roster. This isn’t some Cinderella squad full of unknowns. These guys play for Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and Tottenham. But the way this team is built, it’s not quite the sum of its parts.
The man between the posts and the man who used to own the midfield
Patrick Pentz is the starting goalkeeper, and he plays for Red Bull Salzburg. He’s going to be busy. Spain’s attack is lethal even if their shooting accuracy (29.1% on target among remaining teams) suggests they can be wasteful. Pentz will need to be sharp.
David Alaba is still here, just. The 34-year-old became a free agent yesterday when his Real Madrid contract expired. He’s not the world-class hybrid he once was — the guy who could play left back, center back, or midfield at an elite level for Bayern and Madrid while running the show for Austria. But he’s still got the brain and the experience. Rangnick trusts him completely, even after Alaba suffered a broken jaw in the opening game. He’s still being selected.
Premier League connections and a complicated passport situation
Kevin Danso, the Tottenham defender, isn’t a guaranteed starter under Rangnick, but he’s one of the guys Premier League fans will recognize. So is Hannes Wolf, who had a brief loan at Manchester United in 2023 and showed flashes before injuries limited him to 11 appearances. The talent is there, but the availability hasn’t been.
Then there’s Carney Chukwuemeka. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder represented England at youth level but switched to Austria — his birth country — in March 2026. He’s one to watch in midfield, though he’ll have his hands full with Spain’s possession game.
Xaver Schlager and Nicolas Seiwald do the dirty work in central midfield for RB Leipzig. Schlager is the reliable, underappreciated type. Seiwald scored the opening goal against Jordan, Austria’s first World Cup win since 1990.
Marcel Sabitzer, formerly of Manchester United and Bayern Munich, now at Dortmund, has played every minute so far. He’s got an eye for goal and the experience to match.
And Christoph Baumgartner, now 37, is somehow still leading the line. He’s been a key part of Vincent Kompany’s free-flowing Bayern Munich, a guy who does a bit of everything. He’s got two goals in three games. You can’t write him off.
ACL survivor and a rising star
Marko Arnautovic, the former Stoke City and West Ham striker who went on to play for Inter Milan, is still around. He’s playing in Serbia now.
The one to watch might be Yusuf Demir, 20, who left Bayern for PSV last summer and helped them win the Eredivisie title.
But the feel-good story belongs to Sasa Kalajdzic. The former Wolves striker, who has suffered three separate ACL injuries in five years, came off the bench to score that 96th-minute equalizer against Algeria. It sent Austria through. Without that moment, none of this happens.
Now they get Spain. And they’re alive.
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