First Vienna FC is an Austrian football club based in the Döbling district of Vienna. Established on 22 August 1894, it is the country's oldest team and has played a notable role in the history of the game there. It is familiarly known to Austrians by the English name Vienna.
| Full name | First Vienna Football Club 1894 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Vienna | ||
| Founded | 22 August 1894 | ||
| Ground | Hohe Warte Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 5,500 | ||
| Manager | Hans Kleer | ||
| League | 2. Liga | ||
| 2024–25 | 2. Liga, 5th of 16 | ||
| Website | https://www.firstviennafc.at/ | ||
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| Current season | |||
History
Foundation and early years
First Vienna FC was founded on 22 August 1894 in Döbling, making it the oldest football club in Austria. The club’s colours blue and yellow derived from Rothschild racing uniforms, while the triskelion logo was designed by Manx player William Beale. On 15 November 1894, Vienna played its first official match, a 0–4 loss to Vienna Cricket and Football-Club.
The club captured the Challenge Cup in 1899 and 1900, one of the first international tournaments in Central Europe.
Golden era
Vienna enjoyed major success between the late 1920s and 1930s, winning the Austrian Cup in 1929 and 1930, the Austrian Championship in 1931 and 1933, and the Mitropa Cup in 1931, unbeaten across all matches. The team added another Austrian Cup in 1937.
Gauliga and World War II
Following the Anschluss in 1938, Vienna played in the Gauliga Ostmark. They won divisional titles in 1942, 1943 and 1944, reaching the German Championship Final in 1942 (losing 0–2 to Schalke 04). In 1943, the club became the Tschammerpokal (German Cup) winner, defeating Luftwaffen-SV Hamburg 3–2 after extra time.
Postwar period
After Austria regained independence, Vienna claimed the Austrian Championship in 1955, edging Wiener Sport-Club on goal quotient.
Decline and fluctuating fortunes
From the 1960s, Vienna faced several relegations. They returned to the top flight in 1986, and highlights included two UEFA Cup appearances (1988–89, 1989–90).
Vienna reached the Austrian Cup Final in 1997 (losing 1–2 to Sturm Graz), but financial difficulties deepened. By 2000, the club was relegated to the Regionalliga Ost (third tier). In 2017, after sponsor Care-Energy went bankrupt, the club entered insolvency proceedings, and by court order was demoted to the fifth division.
Revival
Despite financial setbacks, Vienna began climbing back up: champions of the 2. Landesliga Wien in 2019, they later secured promotion to the Regionalliga Ost (2021) and the Austrian Second League in 2022.
First Vienna FC in Europe
| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–89 | UEFA Cup | 1 | Ikast FS | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 (a) | |
| 2 | TPS Turku | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 (a) | |||
| 1989–90 | UEFA Cup | 1 | Valletta | 3–0 | 4–1 | 7–1 | |
| 2 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–3 (a) |
Current squad
- As of 9 September, 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
- Mario Kempes, (1986–1987) World Cup Winner and former Argentinian International
- Alfred Drabits, (1988–1991) Former Austrian International
- Kimmo Lipponen, (1989) former Finnish international
- Zeljko Radovic, (1994–1997) Former Austrian International
- Gary Noël, (2015–2016) Former Mauritius International
- Turgay Bahadır (2015–2016) Former Turkish International
- Markus Katzer, (2015–2020) Former Austrian International
- Mensur Kurtisi, (2016–2021) Former Macedonian International
- Ümit Korkmaz, (2019–2020) Former Austrian International
- Andreas Lukse, (2021–2023) Former Austrian International
Honours
- Austrian Champions (6): 1931, 1933, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1955
- Austrian Cup (3): 1929, 1930, 1937
- Austrian 2. Landesliga: Champions 2019
- Austrian Regionalliga: Champions 2022
- Challenge Cup (2): 1899, 1900
- German Cup (1): 1943
- Mitropa Cup (1): 1931
- Liberation Cup (1): 1946
- Tournoi de l'Exposition Coloniale (Paris-Vincennes) (1): 1931
- Tournoi du Nouvel An du Red Star (1): 1924 (shared)
- Tournoi de Nöel de Paris : Runners-up 1935
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