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Austrian Football Bundesliga facts for kids

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Austrian Football Bundesliga
Admiral Bundesliga.svg
Organising body Österreichische Fußball Bundesliga
Founded 1974; 51 years ago (1974)
Country Austria
Confederation UEFA
Number of teams 12 (since 2018–19)
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to 2. Liga
Domestic cup(s) Austrian Cup
International cup(s) UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
UEFA Conference League
Current champions Sturm Graz (5th title)
(2024–25)
Most championships Rapid Wien (32 titles)
Top goalscorer Hans Krankl (270)
TV partners Domestic
ORF
Sky Sport Austria
International
OneFootball (Selected international markets)
Website www.bundesliga.at

The Bundesliga is Austria's top professional football league. It is also known as Admiral Bundesliga because of its sponsor. This league helps decide which team is the best in Austria. It also determines which Austrian teams get to play in big European competitions like the UEFA Champions League.

The Austrian Bundesliga started in the 1974–75 season. It became its own separate organization in 1991. Two teams from Vienna have won the most titles. Austria Wien has won 24 national championships. Rapid Wien has won 32 national titles. The current champions are SK Sturm Graz. Phillip Thonhauser is the president of the Austrian Bundesliga.

History of Austrian Football

Early Days (1900–1938)

Football began in Austria around 1890. In the early 1900s, people tried to start a national championship. A cup competition called the Neues Wiener Tagblatt Pokal was played in Vienna. This cup was actually played like a league.

In 1911, the first Austrian football championship began. It was called the 1. Klasse (First Class). The Lower Austrian Football Federation organized it. Teams played for the title of Lower Austrian National Champion. In 1924, the league became professional. Its name changed to I. Liga (First League).

An all-Austrian amateur championship started in 1929. Grazer AK won this first amateur title. Clubs from the professional league in Vienna did not join this competition. Teams from other parts of Austria could join the top division later. This happened with the Nationalliga (National League) in the 1937–38 season.

During World War II (1938–1945)

When Austria became part of Germany in 1938, the Austrian Nationalliga stopped early. Many teams were closed down. Some players had to leave the country. The Austrian league became part of the German sports system. Professional sports were not allowed. Some teams, like Hakoah Wien, were banned. Others, like Austria Wien, were closed and then renamed.

The new top league in Austria was called the Gauliga Ostmark. It was an amateur league. It covered most of Austria, except for Tyrol and Vorarlberg. These areas joined the Bavarian league system. The champions of this league could play in the German football championship. Rapid Wien won the German championship in 1941. After 1941, the league was renamed Gauliga Donau-Alpenland. This was to remove the memory of Austria as a separate country.

After Germany lost World War II, Austrian teams were no longer part of the German league.

After World War II (1945–1974)

The league returned to being only for Vienna teams in 1945. It was briefly called 1. Klasse again. Then it changed to just Liga in 1946.

In 1949, the all-Austrian Staatsliga A was introduced. This meant teams from all over Austria could play for the championship. It was difficult to organize this league. There was a disagreement between amateur and professional football groups. This led to the Vienna league separating from the main football federation. They created their own competition.

However, a few days later, the Staatsliga was finally approved. A new group, the Fußballstaatsliga Österreich, was created to run it. A second division, Staatsliga B, was formed in 1950. This second league was later closed in 1959. So, Staatsliga A just became Staatsliga.

In 1965, the Austrian Football Association took over the top division again. They brought back the Nationalliga. On April 21, 1974, the decision was made to create the Bundesliga. The Nationalliga became the second division for a while.

Modern Bundesliga (1974 to Present)

The Bundesliga officially started in the 1974–75 season. It was still run by the Austrian Football Association. It included both of Austria's top divisions. In 1976, the Nationalliga was renamed Bundesliga – Second Division. The top league became Bundesliga – First Division.

From 1974 to 1982, the league had ten clubs. Each club played every other club four times. From 1982 to 1985, it had sixteen clubs. Each club played the others twice. In 1985, the league changed to twelve teams. They played a home and away round in the autumn. The top eight teams then went into a championship round. The bottom four teams played against the top teams from the First League. This decided which four teams would play in the Bundesliga next season. This system was used for eight seasons until 1993. Then, the league went back to having ten teams.

On November 17, 1991, the Austrian Football Bundesliga became its own federation again. It joined the Austrian Football Association as its tenth member on December 1, 1991. Starting with the 2018-19 season, the league grew from 10 teams to 12 teams.

How the Bundesliga Works

Since 1991, the Bundesliga has been responsible for itself. It organizes the championships for Austria's two highest divisions. Both leagues are named after their sponsors. The Bundesliga was named after Tipico, a sports-betting company, since 2014. The second division, called the "Erste Liga" or "First League," was sponsored by Sky Go.

The Bundesliga also runs the Toto Jugendliga. These are leagues for young players (under 15, 17, and 19) from professional clubs. The Bundesliga works with the clubs to represent professional football in Austria.

The Bundesliga is a non-profit organization. The twenty teams from the Tipico Bundesliga and the Sky Go Erste Liga are its members. An executive committee runs the Bundesliga. They are supported by a supervisory board. Each club from the two professional leagues has a say in presidential meetings. These meetings give advice on all Bundesliga matters.

Committees and Responsibilities

The 'senates' are special committees. They are made up of people who are not part of the clubs. The first senate handles player suspensions and championship games. The second senate helps solve money disagreements. The third senate deals with all financial matters. The fourth senate is the group of referees for the Bundesliga.

The fifth senate, called the Bundesliga licence committee, checks if a club has enough money to play. This is needed to get a playing licence for the two professional leagues.

Bundesliga Format

How the Games are Played

In the Bundesliga, twelve teams play each other. They play a "double round-robin" schedule. This means each team plays every other team twice. Once at home and once away during the regular season.

After the regular season, the league table is split. The teams ranked first through sixth go into the Championship Round. The teams ranked seventh to twelfth play in the Relegation Round. The points from the regular season are cut in half before these playoffs start. Each group of six teams plays another double round-robin. They play one home and one away game against each of their five opponents.

At the end of the season, the team that finishes first in the Championship Round becomes the Bundesliga champion. The team that finishes last in the Relegation Round moves down to the Admiral 2. Liga. The champion of the Admiral 2. Liga gets to move up to the Bundesliga. Teams in the Admiral Bundesliga play 32 games in a season. This happens between August and May.

How Ties are Broken

If two teams have the same number of points, these rules decide who ranks higher:

  • Head-to-Head Matches: First, they look at the games played between those specific teams. They check points, goal difference, and goals scored in those games. If many teams are tied, a mini-table is made just for their head-to-head matches.
  • Goal Difference: The team with a better goal difference (goals scored minus goals against) ranks higher.
  • Goals Scored: The team that scored more goals ranks higher.
  • Number of Victories: The team with more wins ranks higher.
  • Away Victories: The team with more wins in away games ranks higher.
  • Away Goals Scored: The team that scored more goals in away games ranks higher.

Playing in European Competitions

  • The Bundesliga champion gets to play in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. This is a very big European tournament.
  • The team that finishes second enters the UEFA Champions League in the second qualifying round.
  • The team that finishes third enters the UEFA Europa League in the second qualifying round.
  • The winner of the Europa Conference League Playoffs gets to play in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

The team that wins the Austrian Cup also gets to play in the playoff round of the UEFA Europa League. If the Bundesliga champion also wins the Austrian Cup, then the team that finishes fourth in the Bundesliga gets to play in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round. The third-place team then enters in the playoff round.

Current clubs

Team Location Venue Capacity
Austria Klagenfurt Klagenfurt Wörthersee Stadion 29,863
Austria Wien Vienna Generali Arena 17,656
Blau-Weiß Linz Linz Hofmann Personal Stadion 5,595
Grazer AK Graz Merkur-Arena 16,364
LASK Linz Raiffeisen Arena 19,080
Rapid Wien Vienna Allianz Stadion 28,000
Red Bull Salzburg Wals-Siezenheim Red Bull Arena 17,218 (30,188)
Rheindorf Altach Altach Stadion Schnabelholz 8,500
Sturm Graz Graz Merkur-Arena 16,364
TSV Hartberg Hartberg Profertil Arena Hartberg 4,635
Wolfsberger AC Wolfsberg Lavanttal-Arena 7,300
WSG Tirol Innsbruck Tivoli Stadion Tirol 16,008

Seasons by Club

This is a list of clubs that have played in at least one Austrian Football Bundesliga season since it started in 1974. The list goes up to the 2024–25 season. Teams that are currently playing are shown in bold.

List of Champions

Season Champions Runner-up Top Scorer
1974–75 Wacker Innsbruck VÖEST Linz Austria Helmut Köglberger (LASK) (22)
1975–76 Austria Wien Wacker Innsbruck Austria Johann Pirkner (Austria Wien) (21)
1976–77 Wacker Innsbruck Rapid Wien Austria Hans Krankl (Rapid Wien) (32)
1977–78 Austria Wien Rapid Wien Austria Hans Krankl (Rapid Wien) (41)
1978–79 Austria Wien Wiener Sport-Club Austria Walter Schachner (Austria Wien) (24)
1979–80 Austria Wien VOEST Linz Austria Walter Schachner (Austria Wien) (34)
1980–81 Austria Wien Sturm Graz Austria Gernot Jurtin (Sturm Graz) (22)
1981–82 Rapid Wien Austria Wien Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Božo Bakota (Sturm Graz) (24)
1982–83 Rapid Wien Austria Wien Austria Hans Krankl (Rapid Wien) (23)
1983–84 Austria Wien Rapid Wien Hungary Tibor Nyilasi (Austria Wien) (26)
1984–85 Austria Wien Rapid Wien Austria Toni Polster (Austria Wien) (24)
1985–86 Austria Wien Rapid Wien Austria Toni Polster (Austria Wien) (33)
1986–87 Rapid Wien Austria Wien Austria Toni Polster (Austria Wien) (39)
1987–88 Rapid Wien Austria Wien Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zoran Stojadinović (Rapid Wien) (27)
1988–89 Swarovski Tirol Admira/Wacker Wien Austria Peter Pacult (Swarovski Tirol) (26)
1989–90 Swarovski Tirol Austria Wien Austria Gerhard Rodax (Admira/Wacker) (35)
1990–91 Austria Wien Swarovski Tirol Czechoslovakia Václav Daněk (Swarovski Tirol) (29)
1991–92 Austria Wien Austria Salzburg Austria Christoph Westerthaler (Swarovski Tirol) (17)
1992–93 Austria Wien Austria Salzburg Czechoslovakia Václav Daněk (Tirol Innsbruck) (24)
1993–94 Austria Salzburg Austria Wien Croatia Nikola Jurčević
Austria Heimo Pfeifenberger (Austria Salzburg) (14)
1994–95 Austria Salzburg Sturm Graz Senegal Souleymane Sané (Tirol Innsbruck) (20)
1995–96 Rapid Wien Sturm Graz Austria Ivica Vastić (Sturm Graz) (20)
1996–97 Austria Salzburg Rapid Wien Czech Republic René Wagner (Rapid Wien) (28)
1997–98 Sturm Graz Rapid Wien Norway Geir Frigård (LASK) (23)
1998–99 Sturm Graz Rapid Wien Austria Edi Glieder (Austria Salzburg) (22)
1999–2000 Tirol Innsbruck Sturm Graz Austria Ivica Vastić (Sturm Graz) (32)
2000–01 Tirol Innsbruck Rapid Wien Poland Radosław Gilewicz (Tirol Innsbruck) (22)
2001–02 Tirol Innsbruck Sturm Graz Austria Ronald Brunmayr (Grazer AK) (27)
2002–03 Austria Wien Grazer AK Belgium Axel Lawarée (Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz) (21)
2003–04 Grazer AK Austria Wien Austria Roland Kollmann (Grazer AK) (27)
2004–05 Rapid Wien Grazer AK Austria Christian Mayrleb (ASKÖ Pasching) (21)
2005–06 Austria Wien Red Bull Salzburg Austria Sanel Kuljić (SV Ried)
Austria Roland Linz (Austria Wien)(15)
2006–07 Red Bull Salzburg SV Ried Germany Alexander Zickler (Red Bull Salzburg) (22)
2007–08 Rapid Wien Red Bull Salzburg Germany Alexander Zickler (Red Bull Salzburg) (16)
2008–09 Red Bull Salzburg Rapid Wien Austria Marc Janko (Red Bull Salzburg) (39)
2009–10 Red Bull Salzburg Austria Wien Germany Steffen Hofmann (Rapid Wien) (20)
2010–11 Sturm Graz Red Bull Salzburg Austria Roland Linz (Austria Wien) (21)
2011–12 Red Bull Salzburg Rapid Wien Austria Jakob Jantscher
Austria Stefan Maierhofer (Red Bull Salzburg) (14)
2012–13 Austria Wien Red Bull Salzburg Austria Philipp Hosiner (Admira Wacker Mödling)/(Austria Wien) (32)
2013–14 Red Bull Salzburg Rapid Wien Spain Jonathan Soriano (Red Bull Salzburg) (31)
2014–15 Red Bull Salzburg Rapid Wien Spain Jonathan Soriano (Red Bull Salzburg) (31)
2015–16 Red Bull Salzburg Rapid Wien Spain Jonathan Soriano (Red Bull Salzburg) (21)
2016–17 Red Bull Salzburg Austria Wien Nigeria Olarenwaju Kayode (Austria Wien) (17)
2017–18 Red Bull Salzburg Sturm Graz Israel Mu'nas Dabbur (Red Bull Salzburg) (22)
2018–19 Red Bull Salzburg LASK Israel Mu'nas Dabbur (Red Bull Salzburg) (20)
2019–20 Red Bull Salzburg Rapid Wien Israel Shon Weissman (Wolfsberger AC) (30)
2020–21 Red Bull Salzburg Rapid Wien Zambia Patson Daka (Red Bull Salzburg) (27)
2021–22 Red Bull Salzburg Sturm Graz Germany Karim Adeyemi (Red Bull Salzburg) (19)
2022–23 Red Bull Salzburg Sturm Graz Austria Guido Burgstaller (Rapid Wien) (21)
2023–24 Sturm Graz Red Bull Salzburg Ivory Coast Karim Konate (Red Bull Salzburg) (20)
2024–25 Sturm Graz Red Bull Salzburg Brazil Ronivaldo (Blau-Weiß Linz) (14)

Performance

Performance by Club

Club Winners Runners-up Winning Seasons
Rapid Wien Star full.svg Star full.svg Star full.svg
32
29
1911–12, 1912–13, 1915–16, 1916–17, 1918–19, 1919–20, 1920–21, 1922–23, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1940–41, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1963–64, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1995–96, 2004–05, 2007–08
Austria Wien Star full.svg Star full.svg
24
19
1923–24, 1925–26, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2012–13
Red Bull Salzburg double-dagger Star full.svg
17
8
1993–94, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
Wacker Innsbruck (5) (4) Star full.svg
Swarovski Tirol (2) (1)
Tirol Innsbruck (3) (–) dagger
10
5
1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02
SK Admira Wien (8) (5)
SC Wacker Wien (1) (7)
Admira Wacker Wien (–) (1) *
9
13
1926–27, 1927–28, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1946–47, 1965–66
First Vienna
6
6
1930–31, 1932–33, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1943–44, 1954–55
Sturm Graz
5
8
1997–98, 1998–99, 2010–11, 2023–24, 2024–25
Wiener SC
3
7
1921–22, 1957–58, 1958–59
Floridsdorfer AC
1
3
1917–18
Wiener AF
1
2
1913–14
LASK
1
2
1964–65
VÖEST Linz
1
2
1973–74
Grazer AK
1
2
2003–04
Wiener AC
1
1
1914–15
Hakoah Vienna
1
1
1924–25
SpC Rudolfshügel
1
Brigittenauer AC
1
FC Wien
1
SV Ried
1

Notes:

  • dagger All teams are defunct clubs from Innsbruck, Tirol. Wacker Innsbruck (1915–99), Swarovski Tirol (1986–92) and Tirol Innsbruck (1993–02). They are considered to be the continuation of the each other.
  • double-dagger The Red Bull company bought the club on 6 April 2005 and rebranded it. Before 2005, the team was known as SV Austria Salzburg or Casino Salzburg. They also changed the colors from white-violet to red-white. The Violet-Whites later formed a new club, Austria Salzburg.

Performance by City

City Clubs Winners Runners-up
Vienna
Rapid Wien (32) (26), Austria Wien (24) (18), First Vienna (6) (6), Wiener SK (3) (7), Floridsdorfer AC (1) (3), Wiener AF (1) (2), Wiener AC (1) (1), Hakoah Vienna (1) (1), SpC Rudolfshügel (–) (1), Brigittenauer AC (–) (1), FC Wien (–) (1)
69
67
Salzburg
Red Bull Salzburg (17) (7) double-dagger
17
7
Innsbruck
Wacker Innsbruck (5) (4), Swarovski Tirol (2) (1), Tirol Innsbruck (3) (–) dagger
10
5
Mödling
SK Admira Wien (8) (5), SC Wacker Wien (1) (7), Admira Wacker Wien (–) (1) *
9
13
Graz
Sturm Graz (3) (5), Grazer AK (1) (2)
4
7
Linz
VÖEST Linz (1) (2), LASK Linz (1) (2)
2
4
Ried im Innkreis
SV Ried (–) (1)
1

Top Scorers in Bundesliga

Season Player Goals Club
1974–75 Austria Helmut Köglberger
22
LASK
1975–76 Austria Johann Pirkner
21
Austria Wien
1976–77 Austria Hans Krankl
32
Rapid Wien
1977–78 Austria Hans Krankl
41
Rapid Wien
1978–79 Austria Walter Schachner
24
Austria Wien
1979–80 Austria Walter Schachner
34
Austria Wien
1980–81 Austria Gernot Jurtin
20
Sturm Graz
1981–82 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Božo Bakota
24
Sturm Graz
1982–83 Austria Hans Krankl
23
Rapid Wien
1983–84 Hungary Tibor Nyilasi
26
Austria Wien
1984–85 Austria Toni Polster
24
Austria Wien
1985–86 Austria Toni Polster
33
Austria Wien
1986–87 Austria Toni Polster
39
Austria Wien
1987–88 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zoran Stojadinović
27
Rapid Wien
1988–89 Austria Peter Pacult
26
Swarovski Tirol
1989–90 Austria Gerhard Rodax
35
Admira Wacker
1990–91 Czechoslovakia Václav Daněk
29
Swarovski Tirol
1991–92 Austria Christoph Westerthaler
17
Swarovski Tirol
1992–93 Czechoslovakia Václav Daněk
24
Tirol Innsbruck
1993–94 Croatia Nikola Jurčević
Austria Heimo Pfeifenberger
14
SV Salzburg
SV Salzburg
1994–95 Senegal Souleyman Sané
20
Tirol Innsbruck
1995–96 Austria Ivica Vastić
22
Sturm Graz
1996–97 Czech Republic René Wagner
21
Rapid Wien
1997–98 Norway Geir Frigård
23
LASK
1998–99 Austria Eduard Glieder
22
SV Salzburg
Season Player Goals Club
1999–2000 Austria Ivica Vastić
32
Sturm Graz
2000–01 Poland Radosław Gilewicz
22
Tirol Innsbruck
2001–02 Austria Ronald Brunmayr
27
Grazer AK
2002–03 Belgium Axel Lawarée
21
Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz
2003–04 Austria Roland Kollmann
27
Grazer AK
2004–05 Austria Christian Mayrleb
21
SV Pasching
2005–06 Austria Sanel Kuljić
Austria Roland Linz
15
SV Ried
Austria Wien
2006–07 Germany Alexander Zickler
22
Red Bull Salzburg
2007–08 Germany Alexander Zickler
16
Red Bull Salzburg
2008–09 Austria Marc Janko
39
Red Bull Salzburg
2009–10 Germany Steffen Hofmann
20
Rapid Wien
2010–11 Austria Roland Linz
Austria Roman Kienast
21
Austria Wien
Sturm Graz
2011–12 Austria Jakob Jantscher
Austria Stefan Maierhofer
14
Red Bull Salzburg
2012–13 Austria Philipp Hosiner
32
Austria Wien
2013–14 Spain Jonathan Soriano
31
Red Bull Salzburg
2014–15 Spain Jonathan Soriano
31
Red Bull Salzburg
2015–16 Spain Jonathan Soriano
21
Red Bull Salzburg
2016–17 Nigeria Olarenwaju Kayode
17
Austria Wien
2017–18 Israel Mu'nas Dabbur
22
Red Bull Salzburg
2018–19 Israel Mu'nas Dabbur
20
Red Bull Salzburg
2019–20 Israel Shon Weissman
30
Wolfsberg
2020–21 Zambia Patson Daka
27
Red Bull Salzburg
2021–22 Germany Karim Adeyemi
Albania Giacomo Vrioni
17
Red Bull Salzburg
WSG Tirol
2022–23 Austria Guido Burgstaller
21
Rapid Wien
2023–24 Ivory Coast Karim Konaté
21
Red Bull Salzburg
2024–25 Ivory Coast Karim Konaté
20
Red Bull Salzburg

All-Time Top Scorers

Rank Name Goals Apps Ratio Years Club(s)
1 Austria Hans Krankl 270 361 0.75 1970–1989 Rapid Wien, Wiener SK, First Vienna
2 Austria Ivica Vastić 187 441 0.42 1991–2009 Sturm Graz, Austria Wien, Admira Wacker, LASK, VSE St. Pölten, First Vienna
3 Austria Peter Pacult 186 396 0.47 1980–1996 Rapid Wien, Wacker Innsbruck, Austria Wien, Wiener SK, Blau-Weiß Linz
Austria Christian Mayrleb 186 494 0.38 1992–2006 Wacker Innsbruck, Austria Wien, Admira Wacker, LASK, Austria Salzburg, SV Pasching
5 Austria Alfred Drabits 155 365 0.42 1978–1991 Austria Wien, Wiener SK, First Vienna
6 Austria Mario Haas 145 451 0.32 1992–2012 Sturm Graz
7 Austria Christoph Westerthaler 131 378 0.35 1983–1997 Wacker Innsbruck, LASK, Vorwärts Steyr
8 Austria Christian Keglevits 129 405 0.32 1979–1993 Rapid Wien, LASK, Austria Salzburg, Wiener SK
9 Austria Walter Knaller 127 333 0.38 1980–1992 Admira Wacker, Blau-Weiß Linz
10 Austria Toni Polster 122 158 0.77 1982–2000 Austria Wien, FC Salzburg

Statistics

UEFA Rankings

The UEFA coefficient rankings show how well Austrian football leagues and clubs perform compared to others in Europe.


See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Bundesliga (Austria) para niños

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