About Football Bundesliga
Football Bundesliga History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the top-tier professional football league in Austria. The competition, as we currently know it, was founded in 1974 but national championship football in this country can be traced back to 1911. Over the years, the Austrian Bundesliga has evolved into a highly competitive and respected football league in Central Europe.
The country’s top flight has gone through structural and format changes over the years but it boasts a promotion and relegation system, with the worst performers getting demoted to the Austrian Football Second League, also known as 2. Liga. Meanwhile, the top performers earn the right to represent the country in Europe’s club competitions: the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europa Conference League. Furthermore, the league employs a round-robin format, where each team plays each other twice in the regular season, home and away.
Throughout its history, the Austrian Bundesliga has witnessed several key milestones. The dominance of Rapid Vienna and Austria Vienna in the early years gave way to increased competitiveness with the rise of other clubs like Red Bull Salzburg. The league has also seen investment in infrastructure and youth development, leading to a higher level of play and attracting international talent, with Ering Haaland and Dominik Szoboszlai being two recent examples. These efforts have contributed to the Austrian Bundesliga's continued growth and prominence within the European football landscape.
The Austrian top flight does not command an audience like Europe’s other premier competitions, namely the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A. However, Sky has played a huge role in bringing the competition to a wider audience, with the well-known broadcasters investing a total of $354M to secure an eight-season rights deal from 2018-19 to 2025-26. Meanwhile, FTF (For The Fans), Onefootball, and live TV streaming service fuboTV have brought Austrian Football Bundesliga games to fans in the USA over the years.
