World Cup qualifiers: Faroe Islands shine, all Austrians score

Admittedly, on a qualification matchday for the 2026 World Cup with games like Cyprus against Bosnia-Herzegovina or Finland against Lithuania, even the biggest football fan finds it hard to get excited. But...

Faroe Islands Do It Fantastically

However, we couldn't withhold two very special stories from you. One took place on an island nation with just under 50,000 inhabitants. Even the German national team had to realize that the Faroese from the autonomous island group Faroe Islands should not be underestimated in football.

In 2003, under national coach Rudi Völler, the DFB team narrowly escaped embarrassment in a European Championship qualifier as vice world champions. Klose and Bobic saved Germany with a double strike in injury time to secure the three points. 

This old story seems to have never reached the ears of the Montenegro national team. Even the narrow 1-0 first-leg win was apparently not enough of a warning.

Because in today's second leg, the Faroese (ranked 136 in the world rankings) dismantled the Montenegrins (ranked 77 in the world rankings) at will and sent them back to the Adriatic coast with a 4-0 defeat. Even the qualification for the 2026 World Cup is not completely off the table yet. 

All of Austria on the Scoresheet

From one supposed football minnow to another. San Marino, currently 210th and thus second to last in the world rankings, could not manage the unexpected uprising in Austria. The ÖFB completed the task confidently and even ended the game with a double-digit score. 

The outstanding player was Marco Arnautović with four goals. The 36-year-old has now also surpassed Toni Polster as the most successful international goal scorer. How much Astronautović wanted this record was evident when he fished the ball out of the net and sprinted to the center circle at 7-0. 

And even though this individual accolade is highly commendable, it was above all a truly special team performance. Because: With the exception of goalkeeper Patrick Pentz, every single player from the starting lineup managed to get on the scoresheet. 

Every Austria outfield player has a goal contribution tonight vs San Marino. 🇦🇹✅ pic.twitter.com/dzUN5eZ8pt

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) October 9, 2025

ÖFB coach Ralf Rangnick is likely very satisfied with this. Because Bosnia-Herzegovina dropped points against Cyprus (2-2), the Austrians now have the best chance of qualifying directly for the 2026 World Cup with one less game played. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 GEORG HOCHMUTH