The inaugural FIFA World Cup in Uruguay was the only edition to be held without qualifiers. However, the Austrian Football Association opted not to participate.
Austria had a strong tournament, defeating France and Hungary to reach the semi-finals. However, they were narrowly beaten 1–0 by the hosts, Italy, who went on to win the tournament. In the Third Place Match against Germany, Austria conceded a goal just 25 seconds in, courtesy of Ernst Lehner – a record for the fastest goal in World Cup history, which stood until 1962.
After qualifying by defeating Latvia, Austria was drawn against Sweden in the first round. However, following the Anschluss in March 1938, the Austrian Football Association was incorporated into the German system, and nine Austrian players were called up to the Germany national squad. Willibald Schmaus and goalkeeper Rudolf Raftl became the first players in World Cup history to represent two different nations, as they played for Germany in the opening match against Switzerland, which ended 1–1. In the rematch, Austrian striker Wilfried Hahnemann scored the opening goal, but Germany lost 4–2, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.
Austria initially registered to participate and was scheduled to play Turkey in the qualifiers but ultimately withdrew. Turkey also withdrew at a later stage.
Main article: Disgrace of Gijón
Drawn into Group 2 with Algeria, Chile, and West Germany, Austria began their campaign with a 1–0 win over Chile. They then secured a 2–0 victory over Algeria, which put them in a strong position in the group. However, Algeria, after a surprise win over West Germany, managed to beat Chile in their final match, leaving Austria in danger of missing out on qualification.
FIFA Code:
Confederation:
Appearances: 7
Wins:
Third place (1954)
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