Austria Qualifies for World Cup Finals for First Time Since 1998
Ralf Rangnick's Austria staged a comeback to secure a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina, qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998.
Bosnia-Herzegovina, needing a win to qualify, took an early lead in the 12th minute through Haris Tabakovic in Vienna.
However, Austria equalized in the 77th minute when Michael Gregoritsch capitalized on a rebound after the team hit the crossbar, leveling the score at 1-1.
While Bosnia-Herzegovina was aiming for a victory to secure their place in the finals, they will now have to compete in the play-offs, where they must win two single-leg matches to join Austria in the World Cup next summer, hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Austria has a storied history in the World Cup, having finished third in 1954 and fourth in 1934, but they missed the last six tournaments after being eliminated in the group stage in 1998 without winning a match.
Rangnick, who managed Manchester United on an interim basis during the 2021-22 season, took over the Austria national team in May 2022. He successfully led them to Euro 2024, where they defeated Poland and the Netherlands to reach the last 16, ultimately falling 2-1 to Turkey.
In the Group H qualifiers, Austria finished with an impressive record of six wins, one draw, and one loss, accumulating 19 points, two points ahead of Bosnia-Herzegovina.