ÖFB women close in on World Cup ticket after convincing 4-0 win over Kosovo

After a convincing 4‑0 home win against Kosovo and an aggregate victory of 6‑1 in the first playoff round, the World Cup ticket for the ÖFB women is now “incredibly tangible”, striker Marie Höbinger emphasized on Tuesday at the Stadion Sport‑Club‑Platz in Vienna.

Successful First Leg

The win in Vienna laid the foundation for the promotion, as the early 1‑0 by Liverpool player Höbinger (7) already gave the necessary 2‑1 advantage in the first leg. The Kosovar opponents could not pose any danger in the second leg and were overrun by Austria’s attacking power.

ÖFB head coach Lars Söndergaard said after the match that they knew exactly what to expect and tried to create space through the wings and position more players in the back line to increase the pressure.

Influential Individual Acts

Sarah Puntigam scored the second goal for Austria in the 65th minute, her 26th strike in her 168th international match, and celebrated her 34th birthday. She praised the captain for her stamina and game understanding, even though she is only 22 years old.

The late goals from Virginia Kirchberger‑Prohaska (87) and Eileen Campbell (90) rounded off the victory and confirmed Söndergaard’s statement that several goals are better than a narrow 1‑0 win.

Austria's women beat Kosovo 4-0 in Vienna

Another highlight was the debut of 17‑year‑old Valentina Pötzl, who impressed in the starting lineup and thus opened up new options for the squad.

Söndergaard emphasized the importance of a broad roster: “You can’t win games with only eleven players, a large squad is very important.” Höbinger added that the mix of young players and experienced mentors is decisive.

The attendance of 3,514 at the home match underscores the growing interest, while the second leg will be played on December 5 in Switzerland. Austria is ranked 25th in the world rankings, immediately ahead of its neighboring country.

Switzerland advance to World Cup playoffs keeping a clean sheet

After the success, Söndergaard sees the upcoming encounter with Switzerland as the final European hurdle on the road to a maiden World Cup appearance. He and the players speak of a “50:50 chance” and hope to surpass the strong competition from Finland, Portugal and Poland in the further qualification process.