Austria suffer blow as Christoph Baumgartner out of 2026 World Cup

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·3 June 2026

Austria suffer blow as Christoph Baumgartner out of 2026 World Cup

Austria have suffered a major setback, with Christoph Baumgartner ruled out ahead of the World Cup.

The Austrian national team said in a post that an MRI on Tuesday confirmed a muscle injury to his right thigh and that the 26-year-old will not take part in the tournament, which runs from 11 June to 19 July.

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It is a significant loss for Ralf Rangnick’s side. Baumgartner is a leading attacking presence with 58 caps and 19 goals, and he comes off an excellent season for Leipzig with 37 appearances and 17 goals.

He was already absent for Monday night’s 1-0 friendly win against Tunisia.

Baumgartner will therefore miss all of Austria’s Group J fixtures, against Jordan on 17 June, Argentina on 22 June, and Algeria on 28 June.

Source: L'Équipe