“Back door” Nations League: Austria started the third edition
With the guest performance in Croatia, the ÖFB team started the Nations League. For Ralf Rangnick’s team, it’s about more than just getting used to the new coach’s style of play.
Great challenges await Ralf Rangnick and his coaching team.
GEPA images
For Austria’s national team, the third participation in the Nations League begins with the away game on Friday (8.45 p.m.) in Osijek against Croatia. So far, the ÖFB selection has probably had positive experiences with the competition, which was held for the first time in 2018 – the record is six wins, two draws and two defeats and a goal difference of 12:8.
The first edition ended for David Alaba and Co. almost four years ago in League B with final place two. Two years later, the Austrians won the group with Norway, Romania and Northern Ireland and rose to the top teams in League A, where runner-up Croatia, world champion France and EM semi-finalist Denmark are now the opponents. If the last place in this pool is avoided, you would be among the best again in the next Nations League edition.
This would not only result in another duel with the strongest teams on the continent, but also have a positive impact on the chances of qualifying for major tournaments. Being in League A means, for example, that the ÖFB squad will be drawn from pot two in the worst-case scenario when the European Championship qualification groups are drawn on October 9 in Frankfurt. In addition, Austria would very likely be in the play-off for EURO 2024 if you didn’t finish in the top two in the European Championship qualifiers next year.
EM already in mind
Thanks to the Nations League, Austria got a second chance for a ticket to the finals a few months ago in the World Cup play-off, but missed it due to the semi-final defeat in Cardiff against Wales (1-2). “The overarching goal is the EM. But we saw how important the Nations League can be because it gave us another chance as a back door,” recalled ÖFB offensive man Christoph Baumgartner.
The Nations League was introduced primarily to enable the national associations to play more competitions and thus generate more income. In order to increase the excitement, starting places for the European Championship or World Cup final rounds are also at stake as part of the Nations League. This time, the last three entitlements to participate in the European Championship in Germany will be awarded in the play-offs in March 2024. The four group winners of League A will play the trophy for the Nations League victory among themselves in June 2023. France is the defending champion, Portugal won the first edition.
Previous ÖFB record in the Nations League
Autumn 2018, League B (final second place): Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 Austria, Austria 1-0 Northern Ireland, Austria 0-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland 1-2 Austria
Fall 2020, League B (final first place/promotion to League A): Norway 1-2 Austria, Austria 2-3 Romania, Northern Ireland 0-1 Austria, Romania 0-1 Austria, Austria 2-1 Northern Ireland, Austria – Norway 1:1