Match for the 9th European Qualifiers Group for the 2026 World Cup, at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna, home of the Austrian national team.
What We Know
- The last 10 duels between the two have been rather balanced, with 5 draws, 3 wins for Austria, and 2 for Romania.
- Romania have played twice in the group stage, drawing once and winning once. This will be Austria’s first game in the competition.
- The Austrians have not won any of their last 3 games, while the Romanians have lost just once in their last 8.
- 8 of Romania’s last 9 games have ended with over 2.5 goals.
- Austria’s last two home games ended in 1-1 draws.
Austria - Romania Betting Tip
The Austrians begin their journey towards the World Cup at home, facing a rather challenging opponent. This is a must-win, however, as they need to avoid giving the Bosnians a lead in the standings. Our pick is Austria to win & over 1.5 goals.
- Prediction: Austria to win & Over 1.5 Goals
- Odds: 1.80
- Stake: 4
Austria
The motivation to participate in a World Cup after 28 years of drought is admittedly substantial. That must be the feeling in and around the Austrian National Team, in their first training session ahead of the two games against Romania and San Marino. These will be their first games in the group stage, and they are both must-win.
Manager Ralf Rangnick welcomed the last few players who had yet to join the squad after the international break started, and he expressed his desire to utilise the most in-form player in each position. He noted his satisfaction with his players and hopes that the rainy conditions in Austria will soon subside. At the same time, he emphasised how important this game is, considering that Bosnia and Herzegovina have won their first two games and are facing lowly San Marino with an eye towards expanding their lead.
Tottenham centre-half Danso is expected to feature in the starting lineup after becoming the first Austrian player to win the Europa League. All-time appearances leader Marko Arnautovic took a few extra days before joining the team, as his club (Inter Milan) featured in the recent Champions League final, but he is now ready to go. Austria was disappointingly defeated by Serbia in the Nations League playoff game and dropped to the competition’s second division. That game was their second consecutive in which they failed to score, after scoring in ten straight games before that.
Romania
The Romanians have experienced exactly the same drought period as their Austrian counterparts, participating last in the 1998 World Cup. They have already played two games in the qualifiers group stage, a dominant 1-5 win at San Marino, and a disappointing 0-1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This is a group of opponents well within their capabilities, and they will face Austria in a game that can decide a lot about the future of their effort to qualify for the USA 2026 World Cup. No surprises in the squad called up by Romanian football legend Mircea Lucescu.
In his recent press conference, Lucescu noted his team’s opponents’ capabilities, and he looked towards the Serbian victory against the Austrians as a blueprint for his own side. The training sessions, starting on June 1st, were remarkably positive and intense, under the excited eyes of fans of all ages. The defeat against Bosnia snapped an impressive six-game winning streak in the Nations League. The Romanians had scored at least thrice in 5 such games.
