Football World Cup
The ÖFB team’s plans for the 2026 World Cup are becoming increasingly concrete. As a result, team boss Ralf Rangnick’s team wants to set up their base camp in California, with preliminary testing against South Korea and Ecuador.
“We decided to look for a camp on the west coast and found one,” said Rangnick on ServusTV. This should be “towards Los Angeles, not far from Malibu”.
The players “also want to be able to experience a little something,” said Rangnick with a wink. The International Football Association (FIFA) will officially confirm the team quarters of the World Cup starters on January 16th. “We have to wait until everything is signed, but we are confident that it will work.”
Ribery: “ÖFB team needs Alaba”
“The national team needs him,” said Franck Ribery about David Alaba, whom he knows very well from their time together at Bayern. Alaba could help with his experience at the World Cup, said Ribery on the sidelines of the Icon League final tournament in Vienna.
Tests will be carried out against South Korea and Ecuador
After the draw at the beginning of December, the ÖFB delegation led by the team boss took a closer look at possible accommodation. The schedule has now been set. Four test matches are still on the program, two of them in Vienna. “The two home games will almost certainly take place against South Korea and Ecuador.”
On June 4th, the team will take off for the first World Cup finals since 1998; the World Cup dress rehearsal will already take place in the USA. And twelve days after arrival, the opening game against Jordan takes place in Santa Clara, which is around 50 minutes by car from San Francisco.
“I’m glad that we’re one of the last teams to have the first game to get acclimatized,” said Rangnick. After that, the Austrians have to endure the hardships of travel, as they face world champions Argentina in Arlington near Dallas and at the end they face Algeria in Kansas City. “The statisticians say it’s the most difficult group, which is partly due to us. There are no easy opponents, but we should start with a win.”
Photo series with 16 pictures
Possible round of 16 in Los Angeles
Even if they are promoted, it won’t be any easier: if Austria were to finish second behind Argentina on paper, they would most likely meet European champions Spain in the round of 16 – after all, the game would then be just around the corner in Los Angeles.
