ÖFB-Cup draw: Vienna derby between Austria and Sportklub, Rapid host WAC

Vienna clubs face difficult tasks

For Austria Vienna, the first round means a Vienna city derby against Wiener Sportklub, a club currently playing in a lower division who traditionally enter the cup as underdogs. The draw nonetheless attracts attention, as meetings between the two clubs are rare in Vienna and offer Sportklub a rare chance to perform in front of a large crowd.

SK Rapid Wien was also drawn against a Bundesliga opponent, according to the press report, meaning the Hütteldorf club already face a team from the top Austrian division in round one. The exact pairing was not conclusively named in the available reports, but is indicated by the headline of the cited source: Derbys for Rapid and Austria in round one.

LASK begin title defense against Kalsdorf

Titleholders LASK, who won the ÖFB-Cup last season, begin their title defense against Kalsdorf. The match takes place in the first round, as reported by the Austrian press agency citing the draw procedure: Titleholders LASK in first round against Kalsdorf. The opponents from Kalsdorf play well below Bundesliga level, meaning LASK go into the match as clear favorites.

Alongside the Vienna clubs and LASK, FC Red Bull Salzburg and Sturm Graz are two other established names in Austrian top-flight football taking part in round one. Salzburg were drawn against Seekirchen, while Sturm Graz face a club from Styria – the exact opponents result from the regional draw pots and were only partly spelled out in the available coverage. Austria Salzburg and a club from Burgenland (Oberwart) are also among the named pairings.

Salzburg, Sturm and regional opponents

Overall, the draw shows the usual picture of an Austrian cup competition: while the top teams nominally receive clear tasks, SK Rapid Wien and Austria Wien already face tough tests against Bundesliga teams in round one. That increases the likelihood of early eliminations of a favorite and gives the competition sporting edge from the outset.

The first round of the ÖFB-Cup will be played over the coming weeks, with specific match dates and venues not conclusively named in the available reporting. The Austrian Football Association usually spreads the ties across several weekend matchdays, so that Bundesliga clubs can plan their European commitments in parallel.

With the draw, the new ÖFB-Cup season officially begins, with LASK defending their title and 14 other clubs from the various tiers taking the first step toward the final in Vienna. Whether the Vienna clubs overcome their opening hurdles will be decided in the coming weeks.

The first-round draw also serves as a mood barometer for the new season, offering indications of the competition's structure and the clubs' fixture lists. For the fans, the starting signal marks the beginning of another cup campaign in which David-versus-Goliath match-ups involving representatives from the federal states of Salzburg, Styria and Burgenland are once again emerging.