The City of Goleta is proud to be the Host City for the Austrian National Soccer Team and the Austrian Football Association (Österreichischer Fußball-Bund or ÖFB) during the FIFA World Cup 2026TM! Team Austria is staying in Goleta and training at UCSB’s Harder Stadium throughout the tournament. The team, led by head coach Ralf Rangnick, secured its entry into the 2026 World Cup with a 6-1-1 record in qualifying matches last year, when the team scored an impressive 22 goals and allowed only four! This marks Austria’s first World Cup appearance since 1998 and its eighth appearance since the inaugural tournament in 1930.
The Team
- Official Name: Österreichische Fußballnationalmannschaft (Austrian National Soccer Team)
- Nicknames:
- Das Team (The Team)
- Die Burschen (The Boys)
- Unsere Burschen (Our Boys)
- Head Coach: Ralf Rangnick
- Captain: David Alaba
- Most caps: Marko Arnautović (130)
- Most goals: Marko Arnautović (47)
- FIFA Ranking: 24th
- World Cup Appearances: 8
- Best Result: 3rd Place (1954)
- Team Colors: Red/White
Key Players
Team Austria’s roster features several elite players from some of the best teams in the world. Although there are too many to name, a partial list includes David Alaba, Austria’s captain and most decorated player, who is a center-back who has over 30 major trophies, including 10 Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and two UEFA Champions League titles; Marcel Sabitzer, a versatile midfielder who is recognized for his offensive attack; Konrad Laimer, also a midfielder, who is known for his ability to press and win the ball; and Marko Arnautović, a decorated veteran and the team’s leader in appearances (130) and goals (47) for Austria.
Match Schedule
Team Austria will take the field in its signature red and white jerseys representing the Austrian flag (rot-weiss-rot! “red-white-red!”) to face off against some tough opponents during the Group Stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026TM. The team’s schedule is as follows:
- Austria (24th) v. Jordan (64th) – Tuesday, June 16 – San Francisco Bay Area
- Austria (24th) v. Argentina (2nd) – Monday, June 22 – Dallas
- Austria (24th) v. Algeria (28th) – Saturday, June 27 – Kansas City
Click here for a full schedule of FIFA World Cup 2026TM matches.
The City of Goleta will be cheering on Austria and the ÖFB as they take on the FIFA World Cup 2026TM tournament! “Auf geh’ts, Burschen! Noch ein Tor!” (“Let’s go, lads! Another goal!”)
Austrian National Soccer Team