Christoph Baumgartner misses the World Cup – torn muscle fiber in the right thigh confirmed

For Baumgartner, who scored 17 competitive goals and assisted nine more for RB Leipzig in the past season, the diagnosis comes at the worst possible time. Just last week, the 26-year-old stated in an interview that he was at the peak of his career – now the World Cup, the biggest tournament in world football, will take place without him.

The offensive player, who hails from Lower Austria and is considered a key figure in the ÖFB attack, is considered difficult to replace by the association. Rangnick described Baumgartner on Tuesday as "an important player and a central personality within our squad" – an attribute that underscores the magnitude of his absence for the ÖFB selection.

Search for a Replacement for the Leipzig Star

The Austrian Football Association is now working internally on a replacement nomination for the 26-year-old and intends to announce it "within a reasonable timeframe." Rangnick announced that a replacement player would be nominated later this week so that the squad can be complete again as quickly as possible.

This means a crucial personnel decision awaits the ÖFB contingent, which is scheduled to depart for the USA on Thursday, June 4th. Preparations for the first group match must continue in parallel with the squad re-planning.

All Clear for Captain Alaba

Meanwhile, there was relief around captain David Alaba. An MRI scan of the team captain, who had also experienced muscular problems in the meantime, showed no abnormalities. Alaba will travel to the USA with the team as planned on Thursday and is available for the World Cup.

The Austrian selection won their friendly match against Tunisia 1-0 on Monday evening, playing with ten men. Baumgartner could not participate as the injury had already occurred during the warm-up phase. The late victory with a numerical disadvantage was overshadowed by the diagnosis the following day.

The exceptional situation for the ÖFB brings back memories of previous World Cup finals where the Austrian team also had to react to injury-related setbacks. From a sporting perspective, the focus now is on quickly shifting attention to the first group match and collectively closing the gap in attack.