Football World Cup: Baumgartner Out Longer After Thigh Surgery

Austrian international Christoph Baumgartner faces a lengthy layoff after undergoing surgery for a severe thigh muscle injury. The RB Leipzig forward was operated on by a specialist in Turku, Finland, two days after being injured during warm-ups for a World Cup preparation match.

Baumgartner is expected to be out for several months, ruling him out of the start of the season with his club and likely the first ÖFB national team games following the World Cup. The 26-year-old midfielder sustained the injury during warm-ups for Austria's match against Tunisia, feeling a sharp pain in his hip flexor area while taking a shot.

Team coach Ralf Rangnick has decided not to call up a replacement for Baumgartner in the World Cup squad for now. FIFA regulations allow for a replacement up to 24 hours before a team's first World Cup match. Austria's opening game is scheduled for June 16th. Rangnick stated he would wait to see if any other squad needs arise during the team's preparation in California.

The Austrian squad will travel to their team base in Goleta, near Santa Barbara, with 25 players instead of the maximum allowed 26. This includes Florian Grillitsch and Patrick Wimmer, who also missed the Tunisia match due to minor muscle injuries but are expected to be fully fit for the World Cup opener. The team is set to depart from Vienna on Thursday, with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen bidding farewell at the airport.