The thirtieth in our continuing series highlighting all thirty-two clubs in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, and the second of Group H. The event kicks off Saturday, June 14th at 8pm ET.
Club Background
- From: Salzburg, Austria
- How They Qualified:
- Officially, it’s based on their UEFA ranking pathway from Champions League performances. This baffles me, as many far superior clubs sit above them in that ranking but were not invited. Something smells.
- Best CWC Finish:
- They are debutantes.
- Recent Form:
- Finished 4th in the Austrian Bundesliga Championship Round; 3rd on points.
- This qualified them for the Conference league.
- Were eliminated from the Champions League during group play.
- Only scored 5 goals in 8 matches (and conceded 27).
- Finished 4th in the Austrian Bundesliga Championship Round; 3rd on points.
- Facts:
- Founded in 1933 as SV Austria Salzburg; name and colors (violet/white -> red/white) changed in 2005 after acquisition by Red Bull.
- As of publication, eight players in their roster are injured.
The Team
- Manager: Thomas Letsch
- He took over in Dec. 2024 from Pepijn Lijnders.
- Outside of his first coaching gig at SG Sonnenhof Großaspach (in Germany’s 5th tier), Letsch has never had a winning record since 2015.
- Star Players:
- Karim Konaté
- Ivorian striker. 8g/2a.
- Oscar Gloukh
- Israeli attacking midfielder. 10g/8a.
- Nene Dorgeles
- Malian forward, only 22 years-old. 13g/3a.
- Karim Konaté
- Young Players:
- The whole team is essentially a youth camp. So take your pick.
- We’re looking forward to seeing Alan Bautista (midfielder, 22, Mexico youth international), Luis Puente (forward, 21, academy product).
- The whole team is essentially a youth camp. So take your pick.
- Training Sites:
- Melanie Lane Training Ground, Whippany, New Jersey
When to Watch
- 6:00pm ET on Jun 18, 2025 vs. CF Pachuca @ TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
- 6:00pm ET on Jun 22, 2025 vs. Al Hilal @ Audi Field, Washington, DC
- 9:00pm ET on Jun 26, 2025 vs. Real Madrid @ Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
The Hooligan Take
Here’s a list of clubs above them in the UEFA pathway ranking (from FIFA’s own website):
- Liverpool (current Premier League champions)
- Red Bull Leipzig
- Barcelona (current La Liga champions)
- Napoli (current Serie A champions)
- Sevilla
- AC Milan.
How can any reasonable person say Salzburg was a string pick than any of those? I’m not a blind hater here, if they can produce on the pitch I’ll get behind them. But with the youngest team in the tournament, a manager whose last winning season was back in 2015 I find this unlikely. One thing in their favor: their pool is not the strongest. Perhaps they will be the surprise upsetter?
Other Group H Teams
- Al Hilal (AFC/Saudi Arabia)
- CF Pachuca (CONCACAF/Mexico)
- Real Madrid (UEFA/Spain)
