Austrian Football Bundesliga facts for kids
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Organising body | Österreichische Fußball Bundesliga |
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Founded | 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.
Contents
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 |
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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.
- 51 season: FK Austria Wien, SK Rapid Wien, SK Sturm Graz (2025)
- 46 season: FC Red Bull Salzburg (2025)
- 41 season: Admira Wacker Mödling (2022)
- 35 season: FC Wacker Innsbruck/ FC Swarovski Tirol/ FC Tirol Innsbruck/FC Wacker Innsbruck (2019)
- 34 season: LASK (2025)
- 28 season: Grazer AK (2025)
- 23 season: SV Ried (2023)
- 18 season: VÖEST Linz/VOEST Linz/FC Stahl Linz/FC Linz (1997)
- 15 season: Wiener Sport-Club (1994), SV Mattersburg (2020), FC Kärnten/ SK Austria Klagenfurt (2025)
- 14 season: SC Rheindorf Altach (2025)
- 13 season: Wolfsberger AC (2025)
- 12 season: First Vienna FC (1992)
- 11 season: VSE Sankt Pölten/SKN St. Pölten (2021)
- 9 season: SK Vorwärts Steyr (1999)
- 8 season: ASKÖ Pasching/SK Austria Kärnten (2010)
- 7 season: SC Eisenstadt (1987), TSV Hartberg (2025)
- 6 season: Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz (2005), WSG Tirol (2025)
- 5 season: 1. Wiener Neustadter SC (2015), SC Austria Lustenau (2024)
- 4 season: DSV Leoben (1992), VfB Mödling (1995), Kapfenberger SV (2012)
- 3 season: Kremser SC (1992), SV Grödig (2016)
- 2 season: SC Neusiedl am See 1919 (1984), FC Union Wels (1984), Favoritner AC (1985), FC Blau-Weiß Linz (2025)
- 1 season: 1. Simmeringer SC (1983), FC St. Veit (1984), SV Spittal (1985), Salzburger AK 1914 (1986)
List of Champions
Season | Champions | Runner-up | Top Scorer |
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1974–75 | Wacker Innsbruck | VÖEST Linz | ![]() |
1975–76 | Austria Wien | Wacker Innsbruck | ![]() |
1976–77 | Wacker Innsbruck | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
1977–78 | Austria Wien | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
1978–79 | Austria Wien | Wiener Sport-Club | ![]() |
1979–80 | Austria Wien | VOEST Linz | ![]() |
1980–81 | Austria Wien | Sturm Graz | ![]() |
1981–82 | Rapid Wien | Austria Wien | ![]() |
1982–83 | Rapid Wien | Austria Wien | ![]() |
1983–84 | Austria Wien | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
1984–85 | Austria Wien | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
1985–86 | Austria Wien | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
1986–87 | Rapid Wien | Austria Wien | ![]() |
1987–88 | Rapid Wien | Austria Wien | ![]() |
1988–89 | Swarovski Tirol | Admira/Wacker Wien | ![]() |
1989–90 | Swarovski Tirol | Austria Wien | ![]() |
1990–91 | Austria Wien | Swarovski Tirol | ![]() |
1991–92 | Austria Wien | Austria Salzburg | ![]() |
1992–93 | Austria Wien | Austria Salzburg | ![]() |
1993–94 | Austria Salzburg | Austria Wien | ![]() ![]() |
1994–95 | Austria Salzburg | Sturm Graz | ![]() |
1995–96 | Rapid Wien | Sturm Graz | ![]() |
1996–97 | Austria Salzburg | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
1997–98 | Sturm Graz | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
1998–99 | Sturm Graz | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
1999–2000 | Tirol Innsbruck | Sturm Graz | ![]() |
2000–01 | Tirol Innsbruck | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
2001–02 | Tirol Innsbruck | Sturm Graz | ![]() |
2002–03 | Austria Wien | Grazer AK | ![]() |
2003–04 | Grazer AK | Austria Wien | ![]() |
2004–05 | Rapid Wien | Grazer AK | ![]() |
2005–06 | Austria Wien | Red Bull Salzburg | ![]() ![]() |
2006–07 | Red Bull Salzburg | SV Ried | ![]() |
2007–08 | Rapid Wien | Red Bull Salzburg | ![]() |
2008–09 | Red Bull Salzburg | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
2009–10 | Red Bull Salzburg | Austria Wien | ![]() |
2010–11 | Sturm Graz | Red Bull Salzburg | ![]() |
2011–12 | Red Bull Salzburg | Rapid Wien | ![]() ![]() |
2012–13 | Austria Wien | Red Bull Salzburg | ![]() |
2013–14 | Red Bull Salzburg | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
2014–15 | Red Bull Salzburg | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
2015–16 | Red Bull Salzburg | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
2016–17 | Red Bull Salzburg | Austria Wien | ![]() |
2017–18 | Red Bull Salzburg | Sturm Graz | ![]() |
2018–19 | Red Bull Salzburg | LASK | ![]() |
2019–20 | Red Bull Salzburg | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
2020–21 | Red Bull Salzburg | Rapid Wien | ![]() |
2021–22 | Red Bull Salzburg | Sturm Graz | ![]() |
2022–23 | Red Bull Salzburg | Sturm Graz | ![]() |
2023–24 | Sturm Graz | Red Bull Salzburg | ![]() |
2024–25 | Sturm Graz | Red Bull Salzburg | ![]() |
Performance
Performance by Club
Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Seasons |
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Rapid Wien ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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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 ![]() ![]() |
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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 ![]() ![]() |
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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) ![]() Swarovski Tirol (2) (1) Tirol Innsbruck (3) (–) ![]() |
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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) * |
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1926–27, 1927–28, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1946–47, 1965–66 |
First Vienna |
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1930–31, 1932–33, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1943–44, 1954–55 |
Sturm Graz |
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1997–98, 1998–99, 2010–11, 2023–24, 2024–25 |
Wiener SC |
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1921–22, 1957–58, 1958–59 |
Floridsdorfer AC |
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1917–18 |
Wiener AF |
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1913–14 |
LASK |
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1964–65 |
VÖEST Linz |
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1973–74 |
Grazer AK |
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2003–04 |
Wiener AC |
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1914–15 |
Hakoah Vienna |
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1924–25 |
SpC Rudolfshügel |
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Brigittenauer AC |
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FC Wien |
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SV Ried |
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Notes:
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.
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.
- Admira Wacker Mödling was formed after the merger of SK Admira Wien and SC Wacker Wien in 1971. It was first called Admira Wacker Wien. It later merged with VfB Mödling in 1997 and SK Schwadorf in 2008. The new team plays in Mödling.
Performance by City
City | Clubs | Winners | Runners-up |
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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) |
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Red Bull Salzburg (17) (7) ![]() |
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Wacker Innsbruck (5) (4), Swarovski Tirol (2) (1), Tirol Innsbruck (3) (–) ![]() |
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SK Admira Wien (8) (5), SC Wacker Wien (1) (7), Admira Wacker Wien (–) (1) * |
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Sturm Graz (3) (5), Grazer AK (1) (2) |
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VÖEST Linz (1) (2), LASK Linz (1) (2) |
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SV Ried (–) (1) |
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Top Scorers in Bundesliga
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All-Time Top Scorers
Rank | Name | Goals | Apps | Ratio | Years | Club(s) |
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1 | ![]() |
270 | 361 | 0.75 | 1970–1989 | Rapid Wien, Wiener SK, First Vienna |
2 | ![]() |
187 | 441 | 0.42 | 1991–2009 | Sturm Graz, Austria Wien, Admira Wacker, LASK, VSE St. Pölten, First Vienna |
3 | ![]() |
186 | 396 | 0.47 | 1980–1996 | Rapid Wien, Wacker Innsbruck, Austria Wien, Wiener SK, Blau-Weiß Linz |
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186 | 494 | 0.38 | 1992–2006 | Wacker Innsbruck, Austria Wien, Admira Wacker, LASK, Austria Salzburg, SV Pasching | |
5 | ![]() |
155 | 365 | 0.42 | 1978–1991 | Austria Wien, Wiener SK, First Vienna |
6 | ![]() |
145 | 451 | 0.32 | 1992–2012 | Sturm Graz |
7 | ![]() |
131 | 378 | 0.35 | 1983–1997 | Wacker Innsbruck, LASK, Vorwärts Steyr |
8 | ![]() |
129 | 405 | 0.32 | 1979–1993 | Rapid Wien, LASK, Austria Salzburg, Wiener SK |
9 | ![]() |
127 | 333 | 0.38 | 1980–1992 | Admira Wacker, Blau-Weiß Linz |
10 | ![]() |
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.
This shows how the Austrian league ranks among other European football leagues. The data is from March 15, 2019:
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This shows how individual Austrian clubs rank in Europe over five years. The data is from July 8, 2021:
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See also
In Spanish: Bundesliga (Austria) para niños
- Football in Austria
- Austrian Footballer of the Year
- Austrian Cup
- Gauliga Ostmark – the highest division in Austria from 1938 to 1945
Images for kids
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In 1941 Rapid Wien won the German championship final against Schalke 04 4–3
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Gerhard-Hanappi-Stadion, home of Rapid Wien
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UPC-Arena, home of Sturm Graz
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Generali Arena, home of Austria Wien
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Red Bull Arena, home of FC Salzburg