The Austrian National Soccer Team is feeling the love of the Santa Barbara soccer community as it prepares for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Approximately 2,500 local soccer fans descended upon UC Santa Barbara’s Harder Stadium on Friday for the team’s open practice, an opportunity for diehard soccer fans to be up close and personal with some of the best players in the world.
After the team opened the practice with a series of drills, Austria encouraged all fans to approach players and coaches for selfies and autographs to commemorate the special day. It was a day full of plenty of energy and excitement, including music courtesy of the Gaucho Pep Band.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have the World Cup in your neighborhood,” UCSB athletic director Kelly Barsky said. “To have a team like this here training, willing to come out, and meet our community, I just think this is generational. I hope that everybody involved, no matter the age, no matter where they came from, just has this really special experience and connection.
“You know my love of sport being a platform for community and connection and bringing people together, and certainly, this is a dream.”
Following the end of the team’s short practice session, a select group of Santa Barbara Soccer Club teams took the pitch for a clinic and a series of intrasquad matches that featured coaching from the Austrian coaching staff.
“Santa Barbara’s already awesome, and then you add a World Cup team and the kids out here and how stoked they are, it makes it even more awesome,” Santa Barbara Soccer Club coach Tommy Gray said. “Our club is super excited that we get to take part in this. It’s a great day.”
Gray had the opportunity to witness his own players falling even deeper in love with the sport on Friday in the same way that he did: watching World Cup-level talent.
“I remember the 1994 World Cup. I think I was 8 or 9 years old, and that really turned me on to soccer at the global stage,” Gray said. “Soccer’s grown so much since then, and these (SB Soccer Club) players are seeing the best in the world right in front of their faces. It’s awesome.”
Fans were immediately welcomed into Harder Stadium with a long table of free merchandise, including Austria national team bags, lanyards and team rosters.
“For Team Austria to be welcoming to our community like this, to come in and see a training session and meet the guys and take selfies is generational. That can stay with [the kids] forever, and, again, that’s what sport can do.” Barsky said.
“There was collaboration across the board, certainly with FIFA and Team Austria, but also with so many local partners: City of Goleta, City of Santa Barbara, all of the hotel partners, and others, came together to make this a really big community experience.”
While UCSB’s Harder Stadium will be hosting all of Austria’s local practices, the team will be staying at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara throughout the tournament. Visit Santa Barbara facilitated the City of Goleta’s role as the Team Base Camp Host City Authority for Austria.
Austria will be competing in Group J against defending World Cup champion Argentina alongside Algeria and Jordan. The first Austrian game will be on Tuesday, June 16, against Jordan at 9 p.m. PST at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
In the next week, Austria will take on Argentina on Monday, June 22nd at 10 a.m. PST at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and round out group play against Algeria on Saturday, June 27th at 7 p.m. PST at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
While Argentina is the highest-ranked team in Group J at No. 1 overall according to FIFA World Rankings, Austria is second at No. 23. Algeria is currently ranked No. 28, and Jordan sits at No. 63.
Austria is making its return to the global stage this summer, having not qualified for a World Cup since 1998. The team is coached by Ralf Rangnick, who has been at the helm of the team since 2022.
David Alaba, who has most recently played for Real Madrid, headlines the 26-man team as a seasoned veteran for the Austrian national team. Fellow veterans Marko Arnautovic, Michael Gregoritsch and Marcel Sabitzer will also compete for their home country.
“I know we’ll be celebrating team Austria throughout their experience here in the World Cup,” Barsky said.
Austria, which has appeared in eight total World Cups, had its best showing in the 1954 tournament when it placed third. The country’s overall World Cup record sits at 12-13-4 heading into the 2026 World Cup.