Thigh injury: Leipzig's Baumgartner out of the World Cup

Austria's national soccer team will travel to the World Cup without RB Leipzig's Christoph Baumgartner. The Bundesliga professional suffered an injury to his right thigh during the warm-up before the test match against Tunisia (1:0) on Monday.

The ÖFB announced today that the team has been eliminated from the finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada. Coach Ralf Rangnick's team will face Jordan, Argentina and Algeria in Group J. "This is of course very bitter news for Christoph and for us as a team. He is an important player and a central figure in our team," said Rangnick.

However, David Alaba, who was substituted with a muscle strain, was given the all-clear. It remains to be seen who will be called up to replace Baumgartner.

Loss of a key player

Baumgartner had felt a twinge when shooting during the warm-up. Rangnick suspected an injury to the hip flexor after the game. An MRI examination has now revealed the cause.

Austria is losing a key player in the 26-year-old. The attacking player had a strong Bundesliga season behind him with 13 goals and 9 assists.

The 58-time international had shone time and again in the national team, and Baumgartner holds the record for the fastest goal in men's international history. In March 2024, the ex-Hoffenheimer scored after 6.3 seconds against Slovakia.