With just 12 teams, the Austrian Football Bundesliga is one of the smaller leagues in Europe. It is the top level of men’s football in the country and a great competition to bet on. Television coverage is limited compared to the major leagues, such as the (German) Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and of course the Premier League.
However, with a little effort you can indeed watch the Austrian Bundesliga, with some betting sites offering live streaming services. There are certainly no shortage of online bookies offering odds on the competition though. If you do fancy a bet on Austrian footy, our odds comparison is a great way to get the best odds with the minimum of fuss.
When does the league take place?
The action starts a little earlier than some of the bigger divisions across the continent, with the first games of the season usually taking place towards the end of July or even earlier. Perfect for a bit of summer football betting! The season also extends right through into June sometimes, the result of one of the longer winter breaks around (usually from mid-December for just over two months).
What is the format of the Austrian Bundesliga?
The 2018-19 season saw the division expand from just 10 teams to 12, with these clubs playing each other home and away. After these 22 games the division is divided into the Championship round and the Relegation round. The top six sides play home and away once more, battling it out for the title and European places. At the same time the bottom six sides will also play each other twice in the fight to stay up.
This structure is new for the 2018-19 campaign, although in the past similar formats have been used. This means that each club plays a total of 32 games. Playing some sides four times during the campaign can certainly help betting with lots of current head to head data to consider, although critics argue such familiarity between sides can make things a little stale.
History
The Bundesliga was only founded in 1974, although football in Austria dates back to the 19th century. A national cup was started in 1900, with a league following in 1911 and going professional in the 1920s.
Various changes have been made over the years, including since the inception of the Bundesliga itself for the 1974-75 season. The most recent change came in 1991 when the Bundesliga effectively became its own association, with responsibility for the top two tiers of Austrian football. The second division is called the “Erste Liga” – First League – and it is here to where the bottom Bundesliga side is relegated.
Traditionally the top flight in Austria has been dominated by Viennese giants Rapid Wien and Austria Wien. Including pre-Bundesliga era titles, this duo have claimed the championship more than 50 times, with Rapid responsible for around 60% of those.
However, in more recent times there has been a new kid on the Bundesliga block. In 2005 Austrian drinks giants Red Bull bought FC Salzburg. The club, now known as Red Bull Salzburg, quickly became the dominant force in the Bundesliga. They won the title in 2007 to add to Salzburg’s three pre-Red Bull championships. Since then the nouveau riche outfit have added an impressive eight titles, including five in a row from 2013-14.
Love them or loathe them, RB Salzburg have changed the face of Austrian football and made the division more competitive in Europe. Austrian international football is also thriving at the moment, relatively speaking, and the Bundesliga is a great place for young Austrian footballers to learn their trade.