ÖFB are yet to concede a goal in four meetings with Kazakhstan

Wins in the UEFA Nations League are also relevant for seeding in December's World Cup qualifying draw, which is also why Ralf Rangnick wants to see victory over Kazakhstan.

The Austria national football team has not conceded any goals in four matches with Kazakhstan so far. In two away matches in Astana in 2011 and 2012, ÖFB never got past a 0-0 draw. The Austrians are favorites in the home match on Thursday (8.45pm / live ORF 1) in Linz. A win would not only be important for promotion chances in the UEFA Nations League, but could also be important for seeding in the World Cup qualifiers.

The Kazakhstan national team has lost five of its last six international matches. Last year, they achieved six wins in ten matches in European Championship qualifiers. “Kazakhstan is not in the second-highest group in the Nations League for nothing,” stressed Peter Schotel, sports director of the Austrian Football Association. The Viennese player does not expect pure defensive concrete from the team of his former Bundesliga rival Stanislav Cherchesov. “This is not a team that just sits back, it can also play good football.”

Six hour flight

ÖFB's record against the Kazakhstans reads well with two home wins and two away draws so far. Six points from two games against the underdog looks mandatory after the two failed Nations League openers in Slovenia (1:1) and Norway (1:2) if the Austrians want to return to League One as group winners. The second-placed team in Group 3 of League B will play the relegation match in March for promotion, and the third for relegation.

The away match on 14 November in Kazakhstan will be a huge challenge, not least because of the long flight and three-hour time difference. The match will be held in the eastern city of Almaty, and three days later the Austrians will face Slovenia in the group final in Vienna. ÖFB team boss Ralf Rangnick is not at all enthusiastic. “A six-hour flight is, of course, boring,” Schotel said. The return trip is scheduled to take place immediately after the end of the match.

All of these matches relate not only to the UEFA Nations League schedule, but also to the World Cup qualifying draw. This will likely happen on December 13th. According to previous FIFA information, the eight teams qualifying for the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals from League A should earn a place in the first draw. The top four European teams in the world rankings that do not belong to this group also form one of the twelve group leaders.

Austria is ranked 22nd in the world. They are currently the 12th best team in Europe, so they may have to improve their ranking in order to be withdrawn from Pot 1. The winners of the twelve groups in next year's World Cup qualifiers will book their ticket directly to the 2026 finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The twelve group runners-up and the four best Nations League teams that did not reach the top two places in the World Cup qualifiers will compete for the last four places in the European Championship in March 2026.

Austria's international record against Kazakhstan: 4 matches – 2 wins, 2 draws (goal difference 6:0)