How the FB team qualifies for the football World Cup

The FB team players are enjoying their vacation after a long season. While their club colleagues are already sweating in preparation for the new season, LASK goalkeeper Alexander Schlager is still on a break. The 25-year-old, who let his regular place in the FB-Team slip out of his hands immediately before the final round, will not start again in the team training with the athletes until July 9th.

Team boss Franco Foda and sports director Peter Schttel can take their time to analyze the final round. A look back will show the regained voting in pressing as a positive development, but also gives the task of finally developing tools while in possession of the ball. Foda underlined the qualification for the finals and the first time reaching the round of 16 as successes. “We met our quota,” said Foda.

As a team boss, he has always done his duty. With all due recognition of the development of the FB team during the European Championship: If 24 of the 55 UEFA members are allowed to play at a EURO and Austria is in 16th place among the European teams in the world, that must also be the claim. The Kr – an outlier against a more highly rated team – was not there yet. While Austria has been celebrating the elimination against Italy for days, the Czech Republic eliminated the Netherlands and Switzerland brought world champions France to their knees.

EM theater five years ago

There will hardly be any critical inquiries about EM analysis in Austria. Five years ago it was very different. What a theater it was when the disappointing EM elimination was dealt with! The then team boss Marcel Koller and sports director Willi Ruttensteiner had been accused of too little self-criticism. The relationship between the state association presidents and the management duo was torn, after the failure in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, both of those who led the FB into the modern age were given the pass.

At Ruttensteiner, it wasn’t just the sporting downturn. “He is certified as having done a good job both professionally and in terms of content, but at the communication level, conflicts have flared up again and again in recent years,” said FB President Leo Windtner at the time.

Foda was enthroned by the state association presidents. The German, who was criticized before the European Championship, strengthened his position at the finals – at least externally. It does not speak for the team that players now anonymously tell in their “profile” how they influenced the team boss: “Foda presents a suggestion for tactical alignment. The players then nod it off or explain their ideas.” After the 2-0 draw against the Netherlands, Marcel Sabitzer had publicly criticized: “We are not bringing up enough staff.” It is not unreasonable for a coach to discuss his idea with leaders. There is a fine line between whether the players are exerting too much influence.

Assistance is needed

“Now the critics have a two or three week break,” said the 55-year-old confidently – after the end against Italy. His team has to show this self-confidence in the upcoming tasks. The World Cup qualification continues on September 1st. The match in Moldova will be followed by the games in Israel (with team boss Ruttensteiner, September 4th) and Scotland (September 7th). As in the other four games, victories are mandatory if you want to reach the World Cup as group winners, only this one is a fix in Qatar. After the botched games in March, the deficit on front-runner Denmark is five points.

The good thing for Austria: There is a second and even a third chance. The group runner-up will play in the play-off for a ticket for the World Cup in Qatar in March 2022. If even this is not achieved, the Nations League group win opens the back door to the play-off.

In the end, 13 European teams will be on the ball in Qatar. As 16th in the European rankings, that would be more than expected for Austria.

World Cup qualification, Group F

Wednesday, September 1, 8:45 p.m .: Moldova – Austria
Saturday, September 4, 8:45 p.m .: Israel – Austria
Tuesday, September 7th, 8.45 p.m .: Austria – Scotland
Saturday, October 9th, 8.45pm: Frer – Austria
Tuesday, October 12th, 8.45pm: Denmark – Austria
Friday, November 12th, 8.45 p.m .: Austria – Israel
Monday, November 15, 8:45 p.m .: Austria – Moldova

13 places are reserved for Europe at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (November 21 to December 18). Austria can reach the final round in these ways:

• Group win: All ten group winners of the qualification are fixed in Qatar.
• Second in the group: The ten runners-up move into the play-off, which will be played in March 2022.
• Third in the group or worse: In addition to the ten runners-up in the group, the two best group winners of the previous Nations League are on the ball in the play-off. If four teams from the quintet France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Wales finish their World Cup qualifying group in first or second place, Austria will win World Cup chance via the back door. The total of twelve teams are divided into three groups of four. The last three World Cup tickets will be awarded in each of the three pools with semi-finals and finals.