Duty and grace fulfilled! ÖFB Women advance in World Cup Playoff

The Austrian women's national team takes a big step towards the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Head coach Lars Söndergaard's side wins the return leg in the first playoff round of World Cup qualification against Kosovo at the Wiener Sport-Club-Stadion with a 4-0 victory. Following a 2-1 win in the first leg, the ÖFB women advance with an aggregate score of 6-1.

In the second and final playoff round, they await the winner of the duel between Switzerland and Israel. The Swiss women won the first leg 7-3, with the return leg taking place this Tuesday from 7:30 PM.

Strong Start

Meanwhile, Austria set the course for victory early on.

In the seventh minute, Höbinger shot inside the penalty area, the first attempt was blocked. The Liverpool player took the rebound directly and scored into the left corner (7').

The red-white-red eleven was clearly superior, not allowing a single Kosovan shot on goal throughout the entire first half. In the 20th minute, Billa chipped the ball just past the goal (20'), and shortly before halftime, Puntigam headed wide (43').

Dominance Rewarded

The dominance continued unchanged in the second half, with nearly 30 shots attempted in total.

In the 65th minute, Puntigam sealed the deal with a header from Klein's cross (65'), and in the final moments of regular time, the ÖFB women further increased their lead.

After a corner, Purtscheller brought the ball into the penalty area, where Kirchberger-Prohaska headed it into the goal (86'). Three minutes later, Campbell was on hand from close range to secure the 4-0 final score (89').