Austria operates with a possession-oriented tactical identity underpinned by high-intensity pressing. Their approach relies on controlling the ball while maintaining a disciplined defensive structure, with Marko Arnautović serving as the primary focal point in the final third.

Playing identity · system ↔ individual × direct ↔ possession

Austria is plotted from possession share and top-scorer concentration. PPDA and recent form are supporting context when present.

+Recent form8 · 3W 2D 3L

2026-07-02World Cup 2026AAUT 0-3 ESPL

2026-06-28World Cup 2026AAUT 3-3 ALGD

2026-06-22World Cup 2026AAUT 0-2 ARGL

2026-06-17World Cup 2026HAUT 3-1 JORW

2025-11-18World Cup 2026 qualifying · UEFAHAUT 1-1 BIHxG 1.0-0.9D

2025-11-15World Cup 2026 qualifying · UEFAAAUT 2-0 CYPxG 2.2-0.4W

2025-10-12World Cup 2026 qualifying · UEFAAAUT 0-1 ROUxG 0.1-0.6L

2025-10-09World Cup 2026 qualifying · UEFAHAUT 10-0 SMRxG 7.0-0.5W

International friendly matches are excluded

N2 · Scoring

open play 86%

How they score

Austria relies heavily on open play to generate their scoring output. With 86% of their goals originating from open play, the team demonstrates a clear preference for fluid attacking sequences over set-piece reliance. While their open play conversion rate sits slightly below the field average, their consistent volume of shots keeps them dangerous in the final third.

Goal source · share of play-type-classified goals

86.4%

13.6%

Open play86.4%Corner13.6%

14% set piececorner + free kick

Effectiveness · conversion by source vs benchmark

Open play17%avg 20%-3 pts

38 goals from 229 shots.

Set piece7.9%avg 4.5%+3 pts

6 goals from 76 shots.

benchmark average higher than field by 3+ pts lower than field by 3+ pts

Goal-source shares use non-own-goal rows with source_class values; own goals are excluded.

+Top scorers · still a threat?81% intact

81% of listed scorer goals come from players still marked in the squad.

Marko Arnautović	in squad	15 · 21%
Michael Gregoritsch	in squad	13 · 19%
Marcel Sabitzer	in squad	11 · 16%
Christoph Baumgartner	out	9 · 13%

N3 · Conceding

open play 70%

How they concede

Austria is most vulnerable to goals originating from open play. With 70% of their conceded goals coming from open play, opponents may find success by maintaining high-tempo movement to disrupt their defensive structure. While set-piece conversion rates against them are notably higher than the field average, open play remains the primary channel for their defensive lapses.

Conceded goal source · share of play-type-classified goals

70%

20%

Open play70%Counter5%Corner20%Free kick5%

25% set piece concededcorner + free kick

Effectiveness · conceded conversion by source vs benchmark

Open play13%avg 20%-7 pts

15 conceded from 115 shots faced.

Set piece7.0%avg 4.5%+3 pts

5 conceded from 71 shots faced.

benchmark average lower than field by 3+ pts higher than field by 3+ pts

Conceded source shares use non-own-goal rows with source_class values.

N4 · Big moments

in line with ranking · +0.07 GD residual

Better than their rating?

Austria performs consistently in line with their Elo ranking. While their goal difference residual of +0.07 suggests they meet expectations, their higher-than-average volatility indicates a tendency for unpredictable results against the baseline.

Over-performance DNA · beats-its-rating × reliability, the tournament field

AUTTournament field · 48solid line = rating-neutral · dashed = field-median reliability100 Elo ~= -0.37 goals

+Biggest over- & under-performances42 matches

Residual = actual goal difference minus what the Elo gap predicted.

vs SMR · 2025-10-09	GD +10 vs exp +3.81	+6.19
vs NOR · 2024-10-13	GD +4 vs exp +0.45	+3.55
vs CRO · 2022-06-03	GD +3 vs exp +0.07	+2.93
vs SRB · 2025-03-23	GD -2 vs exp +0.25	-2.25
vs CRO · 2022-09-25	GD -2 vs exp +0.07	-2.07
vs ESP · 2026-07-02	GD -3 vs exp -0.99	-2.01