Their fourth time competing in the Euros.

Austria – Participating Teams in the Euro Football 2024 Tournament

Austria will take part in this summer’s eagerly anticipated 2024 European Championship in Germany. The Austrians are making their fourth Euro Cup appearance and are looking to build on the 2020 edition, where they reached the Round of 16. 

In this in-depth Austria European Championship preview, we check back on their qualifying campaign, look ahead to the 2024 tournament, and find the key players to watch out for. Join us as we preview the Austrian national team and gauge their expected performances in Germany.

The Austrian Football Team in the Euro Football Tournament

Austria have a pretty good record in recent European qualifying campaigns. They qualified in 2016, 2020, and now again 2024. The tournament in 2008, which was played in Austria and Switzerland, was their first European Championship appearance. 

The Austrians were eliminated in the group stage in 2008 and 2012, but they reached the Round of 16 in the 2020 edition. As part of the 60th anniversary of the Euro tournament, the 2020 version, which was played in 2021, took place across Europe. 

In the last Euro Championship, Austria played games in Bucharest and London. Their three group fixtures took place in the Romanian capital, while their last-16 matchup was held at Wembley Stadium.  

Austria had never won a European Championship tournament game before the 2020 version, but they picked up two wins in Group C to join Netherlands in the last 16. 

The Austrian boys started their campaign with an excellent 3-1 win against North Macedonia at Arena Nationala. Stefan Lainer, Michael Gregoritsch, and Marko Arnautovic got the goals in game one. 

They went up against Holland on matchday two. Memphis Depay’s penalty gave the Dutch a first-half lead, and Denzel Dumfries made it two in the 67th minute. Netherlands held on for a comfortable 2-0 win. 

Austria were not to be denied a place in the Round of 16, though. They picked up a hard-fought victory against Ukraine on matchday three, with Christoph Baumgartner scoring the only goal of the game in Romania. 

Italy were waiting in the wings at Wembley in the Round of 16, and Austria pushed the eventual winners close. The tie was level at 0-0 at full time and went to extra time. Italy’s Federico Chiesa opened the scoring five minutes into extra time, and Matteo Pessina made it two in the 105th minute. Sasa Kalajdzic pulled one back with six minutes to go, but the Italians held on for the win. 

Austria will be looking to go even further in 2024. Former RB Leipzig and Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick is in the dugout, and the Austrians were seeded into Pot 2 for the draw after finishing runners-up in Euro Cup 2024 qualifying Group F.

Austria have been drawn into Group D, where tournament favourites France lie in wait. Rangnick’s troops will go head-to-head with the French at Dusseldorf Arena on June 17th. Les Bleus have reached the last two World Cup finals and are one of the strongest teams in the competition. 

After getting the France game out of the way, Austria will play the play-off winners A in Berlin on June 21st. The play-offs will take place in March, and Wales will be their opponents if the Dragons win Path A. Austria will fancy their chances against whoever they play at the Olympiastadion. 

Austria’s final group match will be against Netherlands on June 25th. Like France, Holland have also won this tournament before and will be hoping to go far in Germany. The matchup against the Dutch will also take place at the iconic Olympiastadion in Berlin. 

France and Netherlands are likely to battle it out for the top two spots, but Austria are certainly eyeing up a top-three place in Group D. Finishing third will be enough for four of the six best third-place teams. 

Austria’s Road to the European Championship 2024

Austria officially booked their place in the 2024 European Championship on October 16th. They finished runners-up to Belgium in a tricky Group F. The Austrians beat Sweden, Azerbaijan, and Estonia to second position. 

The Belgians won the group by a point, securing six wins from eight games and conceding just four goals. Austria claimed six wins, drew once, and suffered just one loss. Rangnick’s side scored 17 and shipped seven goals along the way. 

Austria’s successful qualifying campaign started with an impressive 4-1 win against Azerbaijan in Linz. Borussia Dortmund man Marcel Sabitzer scored two of Austria’s four goals. 

They followed that up with a hard-fought victory against Estonia on home soil to make it six points out of six. After going a goal down, Austria came from behind to get the points thanks to goals from Florian Kainz and Michael Gregoritsch. 

When they returned to action in June, Austria battled to an excellent draw with the Belgians at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. Belgium had to come from behind after gifting the Austrians the lead with a first-half own goal. The game finished in a 1-1 tie. 

Austria got back to winning ways in style three days later, seeing off Sweden at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna. Two late goals from Christoph Baumgartner did the business against the Swedes.  

The side then picked up another win against Sweden to stamp their authority on a top-two place. Gregoritsch opened the scoring, and former Stoke City and West Ham United man Marko Arnautovic netted two second-half goals to help Austria to a 3-1 win in Solna. 

They were on the wrong end of a five-goal thriller with Belgium on matchday six, which was their only defeat in Group F. The Red Devils left Vienna with a 3-2 win. However, Austria bounced back with back-to-back away wins to end their qualifying campaign in style.

Sabitzer scored the only goal of the game in Baku to give his nation a 1-0 victory over Azerbaijan. Those three points guaranteed Austria’s place in the 2024 European Championship finals. 

The job was complete, but Rangnick’s side had one more win left in them. First-half goals from Konrad Laimer and Philipp Lienhart were enough for a 2-0 triumph over the Estonians at Lillekula Stadium in Tallinn. 

Belgium won the group with a comprehensive 5-0 home win against Azerbaijan, so Austria had to settle for the second spot. Before a ball was kicked in Group F, securing a top-two place was the priority, and the Austrians passed the test with flying colours. 

Sabitzer was Austria’s top scorer, with the attacking midfielder helping himself to four qualifying goals. Baumgartner and Gregoritsch both netted three, while Arnautovic and Laimer scored two each. 

Austria’s Star Players in the Team

There will be many familiar faces in the Austrian team this summer. Rangnick has plenty of experienced players to call upon, while several youngsters are coming through the ranks and catching the eye. 

Real Madrid ace David Alaba is Austria’s most experienced player. The versatile defender will turn 32 during the tournament, and he has been a mainstay in Austria’s defence ever since making his international debut in 2009. 

Alaba is one of Austria’s greatest-ever players. He moved to Bayern Munich at a young age and helped the Bavarians to Champions League and Bundesliga glory. In 2021, Alaba made the switch to Real Madrid. The Vienna-born ace will be a huge player for his national team this summer. 

In the attacking areas, Austria will be looking to Sabitzer. Things did not work out for the playmaker in Manchester, but Sabitzer has found a new lease of life at Dortmund. He scored four goals in qualifying and could be Rangnick’s main man in the 2024 Euro Cup. 

Austria have several top players who can chip in with goals. Michael Gregoritsch and Christoph Baumgartner both had bright qualifying campaigns, while Marko Arnautovic always knows where the goal is. On paper, Austria have a very capable-looking set of players. 

Austria’s Chances of Winning the 2024 European Championship

Make no mistake about it, Austria have been drawn into a tough group at the 2024 Euro Championships. They start their campaign with a game against France in Dusseldorf. The French are many people’s favourites to lift the trophy this summer. 

Austria’s third group game will be against Netherlands in Leipzig. The Dutch have a top squad and are looking to go far in the competition. We have competitive odds and a top Euro betting market, and you can bet on all three of Austria’s group games at the Euros right here at Unibet. 

If they can win one of their three group fixtures, Austria will have a chance of progressing through to the Round of 16. They had a solid 2020 tournament and an excellent 2024 qualifying campaign, and Rangnick’s troops could be tough to beat in Germany. 

Austria will be aiming to reach the knockout phase this summer. Getting out of the group will be no easy task, but they have an experienced manager and a quality set of players. Can the Austrians spring a few surprises on German soil?