Can Austria bounce back from their recent setback in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers?
Austria’s final match of the October qualifying cycle ended in a surprising 0-1 defeat to Romania in Bucharest. While the loss didn’t change the standings in Group H, it narrowed Bosnia and Herzegovina’s gap to the top to just two points.
This time, the "Red-Whites" face an even longer trip to Cyprus. The islanders have already lost their chances of qualifying for the World Cup, but they remain unbeaten at the Alphamega Stadium in the current qualifiers and are determined to make a statement.
Which team will rise to the occasion in this upcoming clash? Our editorial team analyzes the odds.
Head-to-Head
The national teams will meet for the second time in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Their first encounter ended in a narrow 1-0 victory for Austria.
Cyprus impressed in that match despite minimal possession (21% to 79%), managing to outshoot Austria 16 to 10.
The Cypriots began their current qualification campaign with four consecutive defeats but have remained unbeaten since the final match of that stretch, recording two draws and one victory. Their 4-0 win against San Marino was expected, but draws against Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2) and Romania (2-2) demonstrated their strength at home. Cyprus averaged 62% possession and 2.07 xG in these matches, though they are no longer in playoff contention, trailing the second spot by five points.
Cyprus has historically performed well against smaller nations, although they currently sit 125th in the FIFA rankings. Their quality was evident in a recent 4-0 away win over San Marino, where they dominated in shots (18 to 5) and expected goals (2.92 to 1.01) despite lower possession.
Austria
Before the October break, Austria enjoyed an impressive five-game winning streak, including tight 2-1 wins over Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania. However, they were not dominant in these matches, being outshot and trailing in xG against Bosnia (1.31 to 1.92) while maintaining average possession of 60.5%.
The streak ended in Bucharest against Romania (0-1). Austria again controlled possession (54% to 46%) but struggled to create chances, managing only three shots with a total xG of 0.15, while Romania took 10 shots with an xG of 0.58.
Cyprus
Cyprus’s recent 4-0 victory over San Marino came at a cost. Three key players—Kostas Pileas, Ioannis Pittas, and Konstantinos Laifis—will miss the upcoming match due to yellow card suspensions. Pittas is the team’s top scorer in the current qualifiers with three goals, while Laifis is a key defensive leader.
Austria
Austria’s head coach, Ralf Rangnick, commented on the defeat to Romania:
“We envisioned this game differently. We couldn’t bring enough intensity, especially in the first half. The second-half goal was unlucky. We have two final qualifiers ahead, and we know what we need to achieve success.”
Austria will also be missing three defenders. Maximilian Wöber and Gernot Trauner have been out with injuries, while captain David Alaba was ruled out after playing for Real Madrid in October.
Referee and Yellow Cards
The match referee is Urs Schnyder (Switzerland), who averages 4.4 yellow cards per game in the Swiss Super League. In their last five games, Austria received 10 yellow cards, and Cyprus 13. The previous head-to-head in Linz featured four cautions, and we expect the total yellow cards to exceed 3.5 in Limassol.
Goal Prediction
Austria have struggled to score on the road. In 6 of their last 7 matches, they have failed to score more than two goals, except for a 4-0 win over San Marino. Cyprus have conceded no more than two goals at home in their last four games. Ralf Rangnick will likely focus on securing a result rather than a large win, so Austria are expected to score no more than 2.5 goals.
Corner Prediction
Cyprus perform well at home and are likely to concede possession to Austria, but pushing them back will be difficult. They have never earned fewer than three corners in the current qualifiers, so Cyprus are expected to get more than 2.5 corners in Limassol.
Editor's Prediction
Both teams have strong motivation. Austria must win their remaining games to secure a direct World Cup spot, while Cyprus, out of playoff contention, often perform well without pressure. The home team has scored two goals in each of their last four home matches, making scoring likely against Austria.
We predict Austria to win 2-1, with over 2.5 total goals as a solid betting option.
