Rangnick: “Stupid of us”
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Preliminary decision missed, now there is a threat of a final for the direct World Cup ticket: Austria has to worry about qualifying for the World Cup again just a few days after the 10-0 win against San Marino. “That was certainly stupid of us,” complained national coach Ralf Rangnick after the late 0-1 (0-0) draw against Romania in Bucharest.
The lead in the table over Bosnia-Herzegovina is only two points. A victory in Cyprus on November 15th is mandatory, then three days later the pursuers come to the final in Vienna. “Now we also need a win in Cyprus, but we also have to look at the other game. We didn’t want that,” complained Rangnick. “With a 0-0 draw today, we would have been through with a win in Cyprus.”
Only the group winner is guaranteed qualification for next year’s tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The second place in the table still has to make it to the playoffs. The late goal from Romania’s Virgil Ghita from second division team Hannover 96 created new excitement. “But I believe that we are self-confident and that we have everything in our own hands,” said ÖFB captain David Alaba.
Romania’s veteran coach Mircea Lucescu gave a tip to the Rangnick team’s next opponents. “The Austrians have been playing with the same team for years. That can be an advantage, but also a disadvantage because the opponents now know exactly how they play,” he explained.
World Cup qualification: Ghana wins ticket – Netherlands confidently against Finland
Ghana has become the fifth African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The team of former Bundesliga professional Otto Addo defeated the Comoros 1-0 (0-0) at the end of the qualification in Group I and secured a direct place for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico with 25 points. Striker Mohammed Kudus from Tottenham Hotspur scored for the West Africans (47th minute).
The best finish in the previous four World Cup appearances came in 2010, when Ghana lost to Uruguay on penalties in a dramatic quarter-final. Most recently, the team was eliminated from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after the preliminary round.
The Netherlands have the best chance of getting a World Cup ticket in European qualification. With the 4-0 (3-0) win over Finland, Bond coach Ronald Koeman’s team leads Group G with 16 points. Poland (13 points) with goalscorer Robert Lewandowski can also hope for a direct World Cup ticket after the 2-0 (1-0) win in Lithuania. On November 14th there will be a direct duel with the Dutch in Poland.
So far, 21 teams have already qualified for the final round, which is being held for the first time with 48 teams. The three hosts USA, Canada and Mexico are automatically there.