Austria’s national football team has officially landed in Goleta to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The team arrived at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday before making its way to Goleta, which is the official host city for the Austrian team.
Austria held an open training session for the community at UC Santa Barbara’s Harder Stadium on Friday. Harder Stadium is the team’s practice site during the World Cup.
Around 3,000 people attended the open practice. Athletes from local club soccer teams, children, families, and UCSB students were present.
Players executed passing and goalkeeper drills before engaging with attendees. After their brief training session, fans had the opportunity to interact with the players. The team signed autographs and took many photos.
The Austrian national team is ranked 24th by FIFA and advanced to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. This year’s appearance will mark the team’s eighth time in soccer’s most competitive tournament.
“It’s pretty special for us, for our country,” Austria’s defender, Phillipp Mwene, told the News-Press. “Been away from the World Cup for such a long time and now we’ve finally made it. It’s a dream come true for everybody.”
The team was drawn in Group J, which includes themselves, Jordan, Algeria, and the reigning World Cup 2022 champions, Argentina.
They’ll battle these teams with the hope of making it to the round of 16.
Austria’s team is managed by Ralf Rangnick. Some key stars to look at for the team are captain and Real Madrid star David Alaba, the country’s all-time leading goal-scorer Marko Arnautović, and dominant defender Kevin Danso.
“It’s the biggest competition in world football,” Danso told the News-Press. “I’m really excited.”
Teams in this year’s World Cup will have a chance to play in the three host countries: the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Austria’s national football team will have its first match against Jordan at 9 p.m., June 16 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
