Club World Cup Scouting Report: Can Oscar Gloukh and struggling Austrian side RB Salzburg find surprise form, provide upset?

The Austrian powerhouse has underwhelmed of late, must rally after being outscored 26-5 in Champions League

Austrian side FC Red Bull Salzburg are set to compete in their first FIFA Club World Cup this summer, looking to upset the rest of the field in the United States. The Red Bull club are not expected to advance out of the Group Stage. However, none of that matters to them. They qualified ahead of many other mighty European teams and are looking to prove they belong on the world's biggest stage at the club level.

Led by manager Thomas Tesch, Salzburg are looking to make history this summer with their young, but talented squad.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. cities, from the opener on June 14 until the final on July 13. In the U.S., fans can stream or watch matches on DAZN or TNT.

Leading up to kickoff, GOAL will provide scouting reports on each of the 32 participating teams in the expanded field. Next up is Salzburg, with a look at key players to watch, and expectations for the Austrian club ahead of this summer's tournament.

Getty Images Sport
The Basics
DOMESTIC LEAGUE: Austrian Bundesliga
CLUB WORLD CUP HISTORY: This is their first appearance.
GROUP: H (Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, FC Salzburg)
OPENING MATCH: Pachuca - June 18, 6 p.m., Cincinnati

How they got here
Salzburg clinched a berth through the UEFA Ranking Pathway after Bayern Munich eliminated Arsenal from the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League. That result gave the Austrian side the 12th and final European spot at the Club World Cup based on their performances in the UCL over the past four seasons.
Getty
The player to watch
Salzburg have long been known to develop world-class talents, from Erling Haaland to Sadio Mane and Dominik Szoboszlai. The latest talent to come out of the Austrian side is Oscar Gloukh.
The Israel international, 20, leads the team in scoring in 2024-25 despite playing as a central midfielder/winger. Across all competitions, he's totaled nine goals and recorded two assists while starting in all eight of their UEFA Champions League games this season.
He navigates the pitch with ease, and has brilliant vision on and off the ball in transition. Against top opponents in the U.S. this summer, he is undoubtedly the key player.

AFP
Realistic expectations
Paired with Pachuca, Al Hilal and Real Madrid in Group H, honestly, winning one Group Stage match for the Austrian side would seem a massive achievement. Making it out of the Group? That would be surpassing all expectations.
Los Blancos are the heavy favorites to advance, but second will be a toss-up between the rest of the group. Salzburg's most important matches will be against Pachuca and Al Hilal. They'll rely on their European competition experience against some of the best clubs in the world to prepare.
One concern, though, is their 2024-25 form. From 2013-14 to 2022-23, Salzburg won 10 straight domestic titles, but fell short last season and were runners-up to Sturm Graz. Now, in 2024-25, they sit fourth in domestic play just one game out from the start of the March international break.
They've underwhelmed throughout the regular season, even more so in European competition. In this year's UCL, they qualified for the Group Stage through the playoff system in August, but struggled mightily through eight matches. They were outscored 26-5, a dire minus-21 goal differential. Their only win was against Feyenoord on Matchday 4. It will be a true Cinderella run if they find form at the Club World Cup.

The Basics

How they got here

The player to watch

Realistic expectations