Seven World Cups before 2026 (1934, 1954, 1958, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1998); 2026 is the 8th — and the first in 28 years, ending the longest drought of any major European footballing nation
Born in Germany, capped at youth level by Germany, but committed to Austria in 2026 — a 20-year-old creator fast-tracked onto the plane. The one to set an alarm for.
Passed Andreas Herzog (103) in 2022 to become Austria's most-capped player — and is in the 2026 squad
Overtook Toni Polster's 44 with four goals against San Marino in October 2025
⚠ The most-used eleven in recent matches under Ralf Rangnick (June 2026) — a snapshot of recent form, never a forecast.
| PLAYER | POS | ERA | CAPS | GLS | FILE NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthias Sindelar #— | FW | 1926–1937 | 43 | 26 | Der Papierene — 'the Paper Man'. The Wunderteam's frail genius and Vienna's Mozart of the ball. |
| Toni Polster #9 | FW | 1982–2000 | 95 | 44 | Held the goals record for a quarter-century; two World Cups and a hairstyle for the ages. |
| Hans Krankl #9 | FW | 1973–1985 | 69 | 34 | Joint top scorer of 1978 and the man who sank West Germany at Córdoba — Austrian radio has never recovered. |
| Herbert Prohaska #8 | MF | 1974–1985 | 83 | 10 | Schneckerl — the curls and the brain of the late-'70s side; later led the team from the bench. |
| Andreas Herzog #10 | MF | 1988–2003 | 103 | 26 | Held the caps record until Arnautović came along; the playmaker of the lean 1990s. |
| Gerhard Hanappi #— | DF | 1948–1962 | 93 | 12 | Versatility incarnate and a trained architect — Rapid's stadium bore his name for fifty years. |
| Ernst Ocwirk #— | MF | 1947–1958 | 62 | 6 | Der Welt-Ocwirk — one of the last great attacking centre-halves and skipper of the 1954 bronze side. |
| David Alaba #8 | DF | 2009– | 113 | 15 | Vienna's most decorated export, a serial winner at club level, and the captain who finally got Austria back to the big stage. |
| Marko Arnautović #7 | FW | 2008– | 133 | 47 | Reformed enfant terrible turned record-breaker — most caps, most goals, and at 37 finally a World Cup. |
| Walter Zeman #1 | GK | 1945–1956 | 44 | 0 | The flamboyant keeper of the bronze generation — a showman between the posts long before it was fashionable. |
No nation carries more 'what if?' than Austria. The 1930s Wunderteam might have ruled the world before history intervened; the bronze of 1954 and the giant-killing of Córdoba kept the flame flickering through leaner decades. Now, after 28 years away and under the relentless Herr Rangnick, Das Team are back — record-man Arnautović finally at a World Cup at 37. A romantic's pick, and a historian's favourite footnote.