The range is huge for the level of competitors. From Pot One you get Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium and Hungary or Poland. On the other hand, France and England are excluded from the ÖFB team as they are also in the second pot. Sweden, Norway and Ireland lurk in the third pot, but duels with Armenia or Albania are also possible.

A lucky hand is also required in relation to pot four, for example Greece and Turkey are available, but also Luxembourg, Kosovo, Azerbaijan and the Faroe Islands. The most unpleasant opponent from Pot Five will be Slovakia, while ÖFB would like to see a clash with Gibraltar or Malta.

“We are excited to see what Sunday’s draw will bring us. “But regardless of the opponents, our clear goal is to qualify for Euro 2024 and then play a good role in the tournament,” said Rangnick, who was chasing a draw in Frankfurt. The coach confidently added: “If we continue our performance in the first three games in the Nations League, I’m convinced we can do it.”

The ÖFB team is aiming for direct EM qualification

European Championship qualification starts in March 2023 and ends next November. The top two from each of the ten groups qualify for the final round, with the remaining three starting spots played via the Nations League.

With Austria’s last appearance in the top flight, it can be assumed that David Alaba and co will compete in the play-offs if they fail to qualify. However, since the European Championship was expanded to 24 teams in 2016, the domestic national team has always decided to participate through European Championship qualification.

For the draw, the 53 teams have been seeded according to the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League standings and into ten qualifying groups – seven groups of five and three groups of six. The four UEFA Nations League finalists will be divided into five groups to qualify for the Nations League finals in June 2023.