Wales and Austria square off in UEFA's Path A of the World Cup playoffs, but both countries will also be competing against decades' worth of their own history. Wales have gone far in the Euros but the Dragons haven't qualified for a World Cup since 1958. Austria, meanwhile, have gone 24 years without reaching the tournament's final stages.
UK football fans can tune in on Welsh language channel S4C all you have to do is sign up for an account. Away from home at the moment? Make sure you know how to watch a Wales vs Austria live stream from abroad.
Date: Thursday 24th March 2022
Kick off: 7:45pm GMT / 3:45pm ET
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN risk-free
US stream: ESPN+
UK stream: Sky Sports / Now TV / S4C
The teams are in and Gareth Bale starts to win his 100th cap in an attack-minded Wales side selected by interim boss Robert Paige. On-fire Fulham creator Harry Wilson starts, with Daniel James completing the forward line. Ethan Ampadu comes into the back three, while Wayne Hennessey starts in goal with regular No.1 Danny Ward injured. Joe Morrell is suspended.
For Austria, Real Madrid's David Alaba starts as captain, probably at left-back, with Marko Arnautovic leading the line up front. The former West Ham forward will be ably supported by Bayern Munich winger Marcel Sabitzer. Aleksandar Dragovic starts in defence to win a 99th cap for his country.
Wales are unbeaten since the 4-0 defeat to Denmark ended their involvement in Euro 2020 last summer. Still under the caretaker charge of Robert Paige, Wales expect to have Gareth Bale fit, despite the Real Madrid forward missing the Clasico against Barcelona at the weekend. Aaron Ramsey is struggling for match sharpness on loan at Rangers, but schemer Wilson has lit up the Championship this season with Fulham, scoring 10 goals and providing a further 13 assists for the Cottagers.
Austria only finished fourth in their group but have reached this point courtesy of winning their UEFA Nations League pot. Real Madrid defender David Alaba is their big name, often playing further forward as a box-to-box midfielder, while former West Ham striker Arnautovic is enjoying a productive season in Serie A with Bologna. Aleksandar Dragovic, Austria's second-most capped footballer of all time, is looking to make his 99th appearance for his country. Either Scotland or Ukraine await in the final eliminator.
Wales vs Austria kicks off at 7:45pm GMT tonight, Thursday, 24th March at the Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff. Follow our guide on how to watch a Wales vs Austria live stream online, on TV and on your smartphone, from wherever you are in the world.
- Watch Premier League live streams: get all the Peacock TV details
Watch a Wales vs Austria live stream for free
Good news for lucky viewers in the UK, you can watch Wales vs Austria for free by tuning into Welsh language channel S4C or by following all the action live on the S4C website. To watch a Wales vs Austria live stream, just go to the website and create a free account. It's also a good chance to brush up on your Welsh, which may be a little rusty.
Watch a Wales vs Austria live stream from abroad using a VPN
Even if you have subscribed to the relevant Wales vs Austria live stream rights holders, you won't be able to access them when outside your own country. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. VPNs are a doddle to use and create a private connection between your device and the internet. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.
There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. As a rule, we’d suggest a paid-for service such as ExpressVPN which offers a 100 per cent risk-free money back guarantee. If you're not happy with the service any time within the first 30 days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN is the one we recommend.
2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For Wales vs Austria, you may wish to choose 'UK' for S4C.
3. Then head over to S4C on your browser or device and enjoy the Wales vs Austria live stream.
USA: Wales vs Austria live stream
ESPN and ESPN+ have the rights to show Wales vs Austria in the US, as well as other World Cup qualifying games involving European teams, FA Cup games and a host of other sport. All matches will be available in English and Spanish.
You can sign up to ESPN+, the channel's online streaming service. It costs $4.99 per month or $12.99 for a bargain along with Hulu and Disney+.
UK: watch a Wales vs Austria live stream
Wales vs Austria will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event in HD and on Sky Sports Ultra HD in 4K HDR. Take a look at the best Sky TV deals if you're interested in signing up and watching this game and many more in top quality.
Even without a full Sky subscription, though, fans can enjoy a Wales vs Austria live stream in HD with a Now TV day pass or a monthly pass. Here are the best Now TV deals live right now.
BT Sport customers can also enjoy the game so long as they're subscribed to the BT Sport Big Bundle which includes the Sky Sports channels as well as the BT ones. You can add it to your BT package for £40 per month.
Virgin Media customers are be able to watch Wales vs Austria with a Sky Sports subscription through the Virgin Media’s Bigger + Sports bundle which covers all the Sky and BT televised games.
If you have a Virgin TiVo box and access to BT or Sky, you can watch on-the-go through Virgin's TV Anywhere app. And if that's not enough, there is Twitter's deal with Sky Sports to show goals and highlights via the Sky Football account.
Australian and US fans in the UK can watch the game by using a VPN to unblock their usual live streams on Optus Sports and ESPN+.
- Check out today's best Now deals and free passes
Australia: Wales vs Austria live stream
If you're in Australia, local streaming service Optus Sport will provide live coverage of the World Cup qualifiers – including Wales vs Austria – for just AU$14.99 per month or AU$68 a month.
Stuck outside Oz at the moment? Don't forget that you can use a VPN to access a live stream without being blocked.
2022 FIFA World Cup playoffs, European fixtures
Thursday 24th March
Russia vs Poland (Cancelled, Poland walk-over)
Italy vs North Macedonia
Portugal vs Turkey
Scotland vs Ukraine (Postponed until June)
Sweden vs Czech Republic
Wales vs Austria
Tuesday 29th March
Poland vs Sweden/Czech Republic
Italy/North Macedonia vs Portugal/Turkey
June, date TBC
Scotland/Ukraine vs Wales/Austria
- Our guide to the best TVs
- Save big with this week's best cheap TV deals
- Pump up the volume with the best soundbars
