Austria's Uefa Champions League Contenders

Football has been played in Austria since around 1890, and the Austrian Football Bundesliga has been the country's top football league since the 1974-75 season. The Bundesliga determines the Austrian national football champions and the country's entrants for the UEFA Champions League. The winners of the Bundesliga qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, while the runner-up enters the second qualifying round (league path). Austria Wien and Rapid Wien are the most successful clubs in Austrian football, with 24 and 32 titles respectively as of 2023.

Austrian teams in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25

Austrian teams have a strong history of competing in the UEFA Champions League, and this trend looks set to continue in the 2024/25 season. The UEFA Champions League is an annual football tournament that sees clubs across Europe vying for the most coveted trophy in the sport.

Austria's top football league, the Bundesliga, decides which Austrian teams will enter the UEFA Champions League each year. The winner of the Bundesliga qualifies for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, while the runner-up enters the second qualifying round, and the third-place team enters the UEFA Europa League in the second qualifying round.

In the 2024/25 season, Red Bull Salzburg will be representing Austria in the UEFA Champions League. They finished as runners-up in the 2023/24 Bundesliga and will enter the Champions League in the second qualifying round.

The Austrian Bundesliga has been contested since the 1974-75 season, with the two Viennese powerhouses, Austria Wien and Rapid Wien, dominating the competition. Austria Wien has won the national championship 24 times, while Rapid Wien has lifted the title on 32 occasions. However, in recent years, Red Bull Salzburg has emerged as a force, finishing as runners-up in the Bundesliga four times in the last five seasons.

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League will be a historic one, marking the 70th season of Europe's premier club football tournament and the 33rd since it was rebranded from the European Champion Clubs' Cup. The tournament will also debut a new format, featuring 36 teams playing eight games each against different opponents in a league phase, with all teams ranked in a joint group.

The final of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League will take place on 31 May 2025 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, where the winners will be crowned champions of Europe.

FK Austria Wien

Austria Wien first tasted European success after World War I, when they won the Mitropa Cup twice, a precursor to the modern-day Champions League. They were also finalists in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1978 and reached the semi-finals of the same competition in 1979.

In more recent times, Austria Wien has continued to make its mark in UEFA competitions. In the 2013 season, the club reached the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, showcasing their ability to compete against Europe's top clubs.

Austria Wien's UEFA Conference League campaign in the 2024/25 season demonstrates their ongoing involvement in European football. The club's international achievements highlight their status as an Austrian powerhouse and their ability to represent their country in continental competitions.

Austria Wien's success in European competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, has contributed to their legacy as one of Austria's most renowned football clubs. Their performances on the continental stage have brought recognition to Austrian football and continue to inspire new generations of players and fans alike.

Rapid Wien

Some famous names have played for Rapid Wien over the years, including Antonín Panenka and Ernst Happel, who both went on to successful managerial careers. Andreas Herzog, Austria's most-capped international, also had two spells at the club.

SK Sturm Graz

Sportklub Sturm Graz, commonly known as SK Sturm Graz, is an Austrian professional football club based in Graz. The club was founded in 1909 and its colours are black and white. SK Sturm Graz plays in the Austrian Football Bundesliga, the top level of the Austrian football league system, which decides the country's entrants for UEFA competitions.

In the 1990s, under the management of Bosnian Ivica Osim, SK Sturm Graz enjoyed a period of dominance in Austrian football. They won their first Austrian Bundesliga title in 1998 and retained it in 1999, also securing the treble that year. This qualified them for the UEFA Champions League, where they drew with Spartak Moscow. They returned to the Champions League the following season, finishing third in their group.

The club's traditional home ground was the Gruabn stadium, but they moved to the Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium (now called the Merkur Arena) in 1997. SK Sturm Graz has a strong fan base across Austria and Europe, with various organised fan groups, and rivalries with cross-town rivals Grazer AK and the two Vienna clubs, Austria Wien and Rapid Wien.

Austrian Bundesliga

The Austrian Bundesliga is the top level of the Austrian football league system. It is also known as the Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons. The competition decides the Austrian national football champions and the country's entrants for the various European cups run by UEFA.

The Austrian Bundesliga began in the 1974-75 season and has been a separate registered association since 1 December 1991. It has been won the most by the two Viennese giants Austria Wien, who were national champions 24 times, and Rapid Wien, who won the national title 32 times. The current champions are SK Sturm Graz. Phillip Thonhauser is the president of the Austrian Bundesliga.

The Bundesliga has twelve teams that play a double round-robin schedule, with each team playing every other team once at home and away during the regular season. The league table is then separated into two parts, with the teams ranked first through sixth continuing into the Championship Round, and the remaining teams ranked seventh to twelfth competing in the Relegation Round. The points obtained during the regular season are then halved (and rounded down) before the start of the two playoffs. Each group of six teams plays another double round-robin schedule, with one home and one away game against each of their five opponents. At the end of the season, the team finishing top of the Championship Round is crowned champion of the Bundesliga. The team finishing in last place in the table in the Relegation Round is demoted to the Admiral 2. Liga, the champion of which is promoted in their place. Teams in the Admiral Bundesliga first division thus play 32 games in a league season between August and May.

The Bundesliga champion qualifies for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. The runner-up enters the UEFA Champions League in the 2nd Qualifying Round (League Path). The 3rd Place team enters the UEFA Europa League in the 2nd Qualifying Round. The winner of the Europa Conference League Playoffs qualifies for the 2nd Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa Conference League. The winner of the Austrian Cup competition qualifies for the Playoff Round of the UEFA Europa League. In the event that the Bundesliga champion is also the Austrian Cup winner, the fourth-placed team in the Bundesliga enters the UEFA Europa League in the 2nd Qualifying Round, and the 3rd Place team enters in the Playoff Round.

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