"Again and again, again and again, again Austria," sang the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) fans in the sold-out Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna after their team secured their participation in the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico on Tuesday evening. For the first time since the 1998 tournament in France, when they were eliminated after the group stage under the leadership of legendary footballer Herbert Prohaska, Austria will compete against the best teams from around the world next summer.

Early setback for Austria

The World Cup showdown against their closest rivals Bosnia on the final matchday was anything but straightforward. Austria had the first half-chances, but suffered a heavy blow in the twelfth minute. After a poorly cleared corner, the ball came back into the middle, and former Bundesliga player Haris Tabakovic, now with the traditional German club Borussia Mönchengladbach, headed it in to make it 1-0. While the Austrian fans were stunned, the approximately 20,000 Bosnian supporters celebrated the opening goal.

Disallowed Laimer goal causes a stir

The Austrian national team players appeared shocked after conceding the first goal and only got back into the game from the 35th minute onwards. Weak shots from Nicolas Seiwald and Marcel Sabitzer failed to trouble Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. Shortly before halftime, Konrad Laimer, the only Austrian player to live up to the expectations of a leader in the first half, scored what appeared to be the equalizer. However, after a VAR review, Portuguese referee João Pinheiro disallowed the goal due to a foul by the scorer."A harsh decision. The foul occurred long before the goal; VAR shouldn't have intervened," explained former top referee Lutz Wagner, who analyzes refereeing decisions for Servus TV.

Joker makes Austria cheer

After the equalizer was disallowed, the second half turned into a nerve-wracking affair. The Austrian national team showed improvement and pressed for the crucial 1-1, but the Bosnians were solid defensively and consistently dangerous on the counter-attack. The breakthrough finally came in the 78th minute when Michael Gregoritsch, a substitute striker, poked home a rebound and was immediately buried under a pile of Austrian players. The relief was palpable throughout the stadium – for a long time, it looked as though Austria, under Rangnick, would lose another vital match.

Because the Bosnians' final offensive was unsuccessful, huge celebrations erupted in the Happel Stadium after the final whistle. At 10:39 p.m., it was finally confirmed that Austria had qualified for a World Cup for the first time in 28 years.