Austria’s 26-man squad for the European Championship has been announced by Ralf Rangnick, with Stefan Lainer, Tobias Lawal, and Thierno Ballo omitted. Alexander Schlager’s knee injury in May ruled him out.
Rangnick, a former Manchester United interim manager, leads Austria into the tournament after declining a Bayern Munich offer. Austria qualified by finishing second in Group F, earning Rangnick a contract extension until the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“It’s a decision that wasn’t easy for me,” Rangnick said. “I wanted to explain my motives to all three players in individual discussions. I did that today after the final training session. We discussed it together, it would simply come too soon”.
Rangnick added, referring to Schlager’s injury. “His knee reacted during a weight-relieving running session. It was clear that there was no point in hoping that he would be fit to play in the next two weeks.
Austria Euro 2024 Squad
Goalkeepers: Patrick Pentz (Brondby), Heinz Lindner (Union Saint-Gilloise), Niklas Hedl (Rapid Wien).
Defenders: Stefan Posch (Bologna), Max Wober (Borussia Monchengladbach), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg), Kevin Danso (Lens), Phillipp Mwene (Mainz), Flavius Daniliuc (Red Bull Salzburg), Gernot Trauner (Feyenoord), Leopold Querfeld (Rapid Wien)
Midfielders: Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund), Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim), Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich), Florian Kainz (Cologne), Nicolas Seiwald (RB Leipzig), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen), Alexander Prass (Sturm Graz), Matthias Seidl (Rapid Vienna)
Forwards: Marko Arnautovic (Inter Milan), Michael Gregoritsch (Freiburg), Andreas Weimann (West Brom), Patrick Wimmer (Wolfsburg), Marco Grull (Rapid Wien), Maximilian Entrup (TSV Hartberg).
