The Austrian Football Association (german: Österreichischer Fußball-Bund; ÖFB) is the governing body of football in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. It organises the football league, Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup and the

Austria national football team The Austria national football team (german: Österreichische Fußballnationalmannschaft) represents Austria in men's international football competition and it is controlled by the Austrian Football Association (German: Österreichischer Fußba ...

, as well as its female equivalent. It is based in the capital,

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Since 1905, it has been a

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

member, and since 1954, a

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

member. Since 7 April 2002,

Friedrich Stickler Friedrich Stickler (born 18 April 1949, in Vienna) is an Austrian manager and football administrator. He is Deputy Director General of the Austrian lotteries and board member of the Austrian Sports Aid. Stickler is the former president of Austria ...

(Dipl. Eng.), the director of executive committee of the Austrian lottery, has been the president of the Austrian Football Association. Supporting him is its president, Kurt Ehrenberger, Frank Stronach, Dr.

Gerhard Kapl Gerhard Kapl (11 November 1946, in Wels – 25 July 2011, in Graz) was an Austrian state official, referee and football official. Life Gerhard Kapl lost his father at an early age and grew up in poverty. Kapl completed the matura with distincti ...

, and Dr.

Leo Windtner Leopold "Leo" Windtner (born 30 August 1950 in Linz, Upper Austria) is general manager of Energie AG Oberösterreich' and honorary president of the Austrian Football Association (german: Österreichischer Fußball-Bund, ÖFB). Biography Windtner g ...

. In 2004, it was announced there are 285,000 players (both sexes) in Austria playing for 2,309 teams in the federation, although many more players play informally or for non-recognised teams. Thus the federation is the largest sporting organisation the country. Football is, perhaps with the exception of

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

, the most popular sport in Austria. Football possesses a large value, and has a rich history and tradition in Austria.

History

In 1894, the First Vienna Football Club, the first football team in Austria, were founded in Vienna. From this nucleus, the Austrian Football Association was established in 1904. One year after the establishment, Austria became a member of the international football federation

and hosted the fifth FIFA congress in 1908. In 1913, they supervised the Galicja national team, which was directly subordinate to the

Polish Football Association The Polish Football Association ( pl, Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej; PZPN) is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues (without the Ekstraklasa), the Polish Cup and the Polish national footb ...

. The milestones of the federation and past football history were the years 1930 to 1933, 1950 to 1954 and then 1958 as well as 1978, 1982, 1990 and 1998 with the participation of Austria at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

Hugo Meisl Hugo Meisl (16 November 1881 – 17 February 1937), brother of the journalist Willy Meisl, was the multi-lingual football coach of the famous Austrian ' Wunderteam' of the early 1930s, as well as a referee. Background Meisl was born to a Jewish ...

was one of the best-known personalities in the early years of the Austrian Football Association, becoming general-secretary and national team coach in 1927. At the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

, his team won silver after losing 2–1 to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, Austria's only international final. Meisl's team, nicknamed the ''Wunderteam'', remained unbeaten from 12 April 1931 to 23 October 1932 in 14 successive matches. The highlights of this series were the 6-0 (Berlin) and 5-0 (Vienna) victories against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The 1950s saw more achievements with their well-known football greats such as

Ernst Ocwirk Ernst Ocwirk (7 March 1926 – 23 January 1980) was an Austrian football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest Austrian footballers of all time. He spent the majority of his playing and coaching years between Austria and Ital ...

(twice captain of the FIFA World Selection Team),

Ernst Happel Ernst Franz Hermann Happel (29 November 1925 – 14 November 1992) was an Austrian football player and manager. Happel is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, winning both league and domestic cup titles in the Netherlands, Belg ...

Gerhard Hanappi Gerhard Hanappi (16 February 1929 – 23 August 1980) was an Austrian football midfielder who is often regarded as one of the greatest Austrian footballers. He is also the father of Hardy Hanappi. Club career A versatile midfielder, Hanappi st ...

and

Walter Zeman Walter Zeman (1 May 1927 - 8 August 1991) was an Austrian football goalkeeper and an integral part of the second Austrian ''Wunderteam'' of the 1950s. Zeman began his youth career at local club SV Wienerberger, but he soon moved on to FC Vienn ...

. The

FIFA World Cup 1954 The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament for senior men's national teams of the nations affiliated to FIFA. It was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerla ...

ranks among being most successful in Austrian Football Association history. Twenty years after being in 4th place in the

FIFA World Cup 1934 The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934. The 1934 World Cup was the first in ...

held in Italy, Austria returned to the circle of the best teams again.

Regional associations

Burgenland Football Association The Burgenland Football Association (german: Burgenländischer Fussballverband, BFV) is the umbrella organization of the football clubs of the Austrian state Burgenland. The BFV was founded in 1923 and has its headquarters in Eisenstadt. The BFV ...

(German: Burgenländischer Fußball-Verband - BFV) in 1923 *

Lower Austrian Football Association The Lower Austrian Football Association (German: Niederösterreichischer Fussballverband; NÖFV) is the umbrella organization of the football clubs of the Austrian States of Austria, state Lower Austria. The NÖFV was founded in 1911 and has its h ...

(German: Niederösterreichischer Fußball-Verband - NÖFV) in 1911 *

Upper Austrian Football Association The Upper Austrian Football Association (German: Oberösterreichischer Fußballverband; OFV) is the umbrella organization of the football clubs of the Austrian state Upper Austria. The OFV was founded in 1919 and has its headquarters in Linz. The ...

(German: Oberösterreichischer Fußball-Verband - OFV) in 1919 * Salzburg Football Association (German: Salzburger Fußball-Verband - SFV) in 1921 * Styria Football Association (German: Steirischer Fußballverband -StFV) in 1923 *

Tirol Football Association The Tirol Football Association (German: Tiroler Fussballerband; TFV) is an umbrella organization of the football clubs of the Austrian States of Austria, state Tyrol_(state), Tyrol, Austria. The TFV was founded in 1919 and has its headquarters in ...

(German: Tiroler Fussballverband - TFV) in 1919 *

Vorarlberg Football Association The Vorarlberg Football Association (German: Vorarlberger Fussballverband; VFV) is the umbrella organization of the football clubs of the Austrian state Vorarlberg. The VFV was founded in 1920 and has its headquarters in Hohenems. The VFV is one ...

(German:Vorarlberger Fussballverband - VFV) in 1920 *

Vienna Football Association The Vienna Football Association (German: Wiener Fußball-Verband; WFV) is the umbrella organization of the football clubs of the Austrian state Vienna. The WFV was founded in 1923 and has its headquarters in Vienna. The WFV is one of 8 regional o ...

(German: Wiener Fußball-Verband - WFV) in 1923

Former regional associations

* Polish Football Association ( pl, Związek Polski Piłki Nożnej, ZPPN) in the

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,, ; pl, Królestwo Galicji i Lodomerii, ; uk, Королівство Галичини та Володимирії, Korolivstvo Halychyny ta Volodymyrii; la, Rēgnum Galiciae et Lodomeriae also known as ...

in 1911-1920 centered in Lemberg (today

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

), transferred to the

centered in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

as the ''Lwow District (okrug)'' * German Alpine Football Association (german: Deutsch-Alpenländische Fußballverband) in 1911 centered in

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

* Austrian Union of Sports Workers and Soldiers (german: Verband der Arbeiter- und Soldatensportvereine Österreichs)

Former associations of
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

* Football Association of German Prague (german: Verband der Prager Deutschen Fußball-Vereine) in the city of Prag in 1900 to 1904 and merged to the German Football Union *

Hungarian Football Federation The Hungarian Football Federation ( hu, Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség, MLSZ) is the governing body of football in Hungary. It organizes the Hungarian league and the Hungarian national team. It is based in Budapest. Honours ;National Team * Worl ...

in 1901 as a separate Hungarian association of the

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

* Bohemian Football Union in 1901 * Austrian Football Union in 1904 *

Polish Football Union The Polish Football Association ( pl, Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej; PZPN) is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues (without the Ekstraklasa), the Polish Cup and the Polish national foo ...

in 1911

Presidents

* 1904–1906: Heinrich Strehblow * 1906–1907: Ignaz Abeles * 1907–1914: Adolf Wallner * 1914–1922: Ignaz Abeles * 1922–1926: Karl Volkert * 1926–1938: Richard Eberstaller * 1945–1955: Josef Gerö * 1955–1969: * 1970–1976: Heinz Gerö * 1976–1982: * 1982–1984: Herbert Raggautz and Heinz Gerö (interim) * 1984–2002: Josef "Beppo" Mauhart * 2002–2008:

* 2008–2009: Kurt Ehrenberger (interim) * 2009–2021:

* 2021–present:

Gerhard Milletich Gerhard Milletich (born 1956) is an Austrians, Austrian media entrepreneur and soccer official. He has been president of the Austrian Football Association since October 2021. Life In 1985 Milletich joined the Compress Group, a publishing house of w ...

Current sponsorships

* Uniqa * Admiral * Puma * Magenta * Tipp3 *

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

ORF ORF or Orf may refer to: * Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF * Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute * One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel * Open reading frame, a portion of the ...

Kronen Zeitung The ''Kronen Zeitung'' (), commonly known as the ''Krone'', is Austria's largest newspaper. It is known for being Eurosceptic. History The first issue of the ''Kronen Zeitung'' appeared on 2 January 1900. Gustav Davis, a former army officer, ...

* Geomix *

Raiffeisen Bank International Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) is an Austrian banking group and a central institution of the Raiffeisen Banking Group Austria (RBG). The bank is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange, with RBG's regional banks its major shareholders. RBI was ...

* Stiegl *

ÖBB The Austrian Federal Railways (german: Österreichische Bundesbahnen, formally (lit. "Austrian Federal Railways Holding Stock Company") and formerly the or ''BBÖ''), now commonly known as ÖBB, is the national railway company ...

Burgenland Burgenland (; hu, Őrvidék; hr, Gradišće; Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland;'' Slovene: ''Gradiščanska'') is the easternmost and least populous state of Austria. It consists of two statutory cities and seven rural districts, with a total of ...

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

External links

Austrian Football Association
at FIFA site

at UEFA site {{Authority control

Football in Austria Futsal in Austria

Foo The terms foobar (), foo, bar, baz, and others are used as metasyntactic variables and placeholder names in computer programming or computer-related documentation. - Etymology of "Foo" They have been used to name entities such as variables, f ...

1904 establishments in Austria Sports organizations established in 1904 Football in Austria-Hungary Organisations based in Vienna Sport in Vienna