- 1 Austria vs Israel: six wins in eight qualifiers for one side, an early October exit for the other
- 2 Austria: a squad fresh from a finals tournament, and a sharp attack
- 3 Israel: four scored against Italy, five shipped in Norway
- 4 Football Prediction Austria vs Israel
- 5 Before we start, a word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information that moves
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Austria vs Israel: six wins in eight qualifiers for one side, an early October exit for the other 
Austria wrapped up its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with six wins from eight games and a goal difference of +18. Israel, in the same competition, finished third in its group with 12 points, four wins and four defeats.
Those two paths cross on Thursday 24 September at 20:45 Paris time, at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz. It is matchday one in Group 3 of Nations League B.
The group also features the Republic of Ireland and Kosovo, who meet on the same night in Pristina. Four teams, six matchdays, one straight ticket to Nations League A in 2028-29.
The format leaves no room for slip-ups. The group winner goes up, the runner-up gets a promotion play-off against a Nations League A side finishing third, third place stays up through a play-off, and fourth drops to Nations League C.
Israel come into the group after being relegated from Nations League A at the end of the 2024-25 edition. Austria, ranked 23rd at the end of that same campaign, arrive with a status that has changed completely since the summer.
That status belongs to a side back at the World Cup after 28 years away. Ralf Rangnick sealed direct qualification on the final day, against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Vienna.
Haris Tabakovic put the Bosnians ahead in the 12th minute. Michael Gregoritsch levelled in the 77th, and that draw was enough to send Austria to North America instead of their opponents that night.
Israel never got near that position. They were mathematically out by mid-October 2025, after a 3-0 defeat to Italy.
So the gap between the two sides is built on recent, verifiable results, not ranking-table noise. The real question is what a return to action does to that balance.
Austria: a squad fresh from a finals tournament, and a sharp attack 
Rangnick has one of the best win rates in modern Austria history. He has already extended his deal after taking the country to Euro 2024 and then the 2026 World Cup.
That double success matters here. Austria come into Thursday off the back of a major tournament this summer, with four matches under their belt at the highest international level.
Their summer run is worth spelling out. A 3-1 win over Jordan on 17 June, a 2-0 defeat to Argentina on 22 June, then a 3-3 draw with Algeria on 28 June.
That six-goal draw says plenty about this team. Austria score in numbers, and they leave the door open just as quickly once a game starts to stretch.
The round of 16 drew the line under their World Cup run. Spain, the eventual champions, won 3-0 on 2 July in Los Angeles, with a Mikel Oyarzabal brace and a Pedro Porro goal in the 66th minute.
After the game, Rangnick admitted his side had stayed in it until Spain got their second. The same reading fits the rest of the year: Austria hold their shape until someone turns the pace up on them.
The key point for Thursday is the attacking output they built through qualifying. A goal difference of +18 across eight games does not happen through narrow squeaks.
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Israel: four scored against Italy, five shipped in Norway 
Israel finished third in Group I of World Cup qualifying with 12 points. Norway topped the section with a perfect 32-point record, while Italy took second and the play-off place that came with it.
The raw record hides the detail that matters most for a prediction. This side has played on the front foot, and paid for it badly, as two autumn 2025 games showed.
The first was on 8 September 2025 in Debrecen on neutral ground against Italy. Israel scored four and still lost 5-4, with the Italians striking late to settle it.
The second came on 11 October 2025 in Norway. A straight 5-0 loss, with Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick, slammed the brakes on Israel’s hopes.
On 14 October, a 3-0 defeat to Italy sealed the mathematical elimination. Three games, 13 goals conceded: that is the most recent snapshot of this side on the international stage.
There is also a practical issue hanging over the whole campaign. Israel are forced to play home matches on neutral ground, which strips away any home advantage over the six rounds.
There is, though, a real attacking threat, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. Four goals against Italy in one game means this is not a side to dismiss lightly, even in Linz.
Probable Austria line-up: Not announced at time of publication.
Probable Israel line-up: Not announced at time of publication.
Football Prediction Austria vs Israel
Our prediction: Austria to win and over 2.5 goals in the match
The first reason is the volume of goals Israel are scoring and conceding in their benchmark matches. Five conceded in Norway, five against Italy in Debrecen, three in the reverse fixture: their games are not staying tight.
The second is Austria’s firepower, backed by that +18 goal difference across eight qualifiers and confirmed this summer by a 3-3 draw with Algeria at the World Cup finals. Add home advantage in Linz and an opponent who has not played a knockout-style match since autumn 2025.
The call is clear: Austria win at the Raiffeisen Arena, and the game goes over 2.5 goals.
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