Ralf Rangnick hands Austria four debutants as Alaba sits out

In the conference room of the Austrian Football Association on Monday, Teamchef Ralf Rangnick unveiled his first post‑World Cup ÖFB‑Kader, featuring four ÖFB‑Debütanten for the upcoming Nations League games while the captain’s spot remains an Abwesender with David Alaba omitted.

Squad launch and debutants

Teamchef Ralf Rangnick presented the squad on Montag after the WM in Nordamerika, noting that the Deutsche coach will immediately rely on the four debutants for the Nations League Spiele on 24 September against Israel at 20:45 and three Tage later against Kosovo at 18:00, both live on ORF1. The announcement, captured by photographer James Doak, also listed nine players who were only Zuschauer at the World Cup but are now part of the Partie.

Key absences and veteran retirements

The most prominent Abwesenden is Kapitän David Alaba, the 34‑year‑old who left Real Madrid and is currently without a club. Marcel Sabitzer also stays away, having announced a pause from the national team on Sunday, while record scorer Marko Arnautovic retired from international duty after the WM.

Rangnick will use the two Heimspiele to assess future goalkeepers. The list includes the already‑named duo Alexander Schlager of Werder Bremen and Florian Wiegele of Viktoria Pilsen, plus newcomers Lukas Jungwirth of LASK and Christian Zawieschitzky of Red Bull Salzburg.

Defender Felix Bacher from Olympique Lyon joins the squad for the first time, and midfield prospect Vasilije Markovic of Austria Wien is also nominated. Christoph Lang of LASK and Nikolas Veratschnig of Red Bull Salzburg have been called up despite having no senior caps.

Other players named in the ÖFB‑Kader are:

• David Affengruber (Fulham)
• Kevin Danso (Sunderland)
• Marco Friedl (Werder Bremen)
• Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg)
• Phillipp Mwene (Mainz)
• Stefan Posch (Mainz)
• Alexander Prass (TSG Hoffenheim)
• Maximilian Wöber (Schalke 04)
• Carney Chukwuemeka (Borussia Dortmund)
• Konrad Laimer (Bayern München)
• Xaver Schlager (Nottingham Forest)
• Romano Schmid (Frosinone)
• Nicolas Seiwald (RB Leipzig)
• Paul Wanner (PSV Eindhoven)
• Patrick Wimmer (TSG Hoffenheim)
• Junior Adamu (Schalke 04)
• Michael Gregoritsch (FC Augsburg)
• Marco Grüll (Werder Bremen)
• Sasa Kalajdzic (LASK)
• Nicolas Kristof (Elversberg)
• Patrick Pentz (Brøndby IF)
• Nikolas Polster (NEC Nijmegen)
• Leopold Querfeld (Union Berlin)
• Jannik Schuster (Brentford)
• Valentin Zabransky (Red Bull Salzburg)
• Thierno Ballo (Saint‑Étienne)
• Yusuf Demir (Rapid)
• Jacob Peter Hödl (Sturm Graz)
• Sascha Horvath (LASK)
• Alessandro Schöpf (LASK)
• Matthias Seidl (Rapid)
• Oluwaseun Adewumi (Hertha BSC)
• Raul Florucz (Saint‑Gilloise)
• Erik Kojzek (Partizan Belgrade)
• Nikolaus Wurmbrand (Rapid)

After the two home fixtures, Austria travel to Ireland on 1 October at 20:45 and then to Pristina on 4 October at 18:00, both matches also on ORF1. The group stage concludes with a double‑header in November – Linz versus Ireland on 14 November and Debrecen versus Israel three days later.

Im early stages of the Nations League, Rangnick’s emphasis on scouting new goalkeepers and integrating fresh talent could shape Austria’s fortunes, while the absence of captain David Alaba remains a significant talking point for the team’s future direction.