After the World Cup Exit: Schöttel Announces Overhaul of the ÖFB Team

Captain David Alaba had left his further ÖFB career open immediately after the World Cup exit. This puts the hierarchy within the team up for discussion. Schöttel said they had "in den letzten Jahren ein gewisses Maß an Stabilität hineinbekommen" – and "wir haben einige Themen über das ganze Turnier gehabt."

Injuries Dominated the Preparation

Injuries had massively disrupted the preparation. Above all, the serious thigh injury suffered by Christoph Baumgartner, who plays for RB Leipzig, was, according to Schöttel, the "größte Schock" before the World Cup. "Dass er so knapp vor dem Turnier ausgefallen ist und gar nicht hat spielen können, hat uns gezwungen, andere Abläufe durchzuführen, als wir sie gewohnt sind," explained the sporting director. Baumgartner, too, will not be available at the end of September. "Er ist der Schlüsselspieler für uns in den Offensivabläufen," the Viennese official explained.

Schöttel also offered a sporting assessment of the tournament. He sees Spain as "vermutlich eine der drei besten Mannschaften im Turnier – neben Frankreich und Argentinien." "Das sind bisher die Teams, die am besten performt haben," he said. Austria had played two of those and lost. "Aber diese Anzeichen habe ich jetzt eigentlich nicht," Schöttel replied when asked about possible fundamental weaknesses.

Outlook: Nations League and Euro 2028

After the World Cup, the Nations League is next on the schedule for the ÖFB team. The opener is a home match on September 14 in Linz against Israel, followed by the next game on September 27. The league phase will conclude with another home match. According to Schöttel, the next major tournament is the European Championship 2028 in Great Britain and Ireland.

At a Euros with 24 participants, "sollte es die Ausnahme sein," not to be there, said Schöttel with an eye on future goals. The Nations League will now serve as the litmus test of whether the overhaul succeeds and whether the younger players can make the step into the regular lineup.

Alongside the personnel questions, there are also several things happening at federation level: the Nations League offers the team coached by Ralf Rangnick the opportunity to set the course for the coming years – both sportingly and in terms of personnel.