Public Viewing in Austria: Where Fans Can Watch the World Cup Round of 16 Against Spain

ÖFB Opens Campus in the Seestadt

In Vienna, the offerings are spread across multiple districts. At the "Löwenherz" terrace and in the Kasematten Neue Bastei, up to 750 visitors can watch the match on a 120-inch outdoor big screen or on an XXL concert screen indoors, with the supporting program starting at 6 p.m. "Despite increased capacity" compared to the group-stage match against Argentina, the venue was already "Restlos ausgebucht!" on Monday morning, according to the organizer.

At Palais Freiluft (Palais Auersperg, 1080 Vienna) and at Gleis//Garten on Julius-Tandler-Platz in the 9th district, selected World Cup matches are broadcast on a large LED wall, measuring 3 by 2 meters at Palais Freiluft. The flash Café at Eichenstraße 2 in the 12th district brings World Cup atmosphere to a bouldering gym, and at Trautsongasse 1b in the 8th district, there is public viewing with neighborhood charm.

Public Viewing Hotspots in Vienna

At the Donauturm (Donauturmplatz 1, 1220 Vienna), the match can be watched with a view over the city, accessible via the U1 to Alte Donau or Kaisermühlen-VIC as well as the U6 to Neue Donau. Those willing to dig deeper into their pockets can book an "All you can eat & drink" package for 99.90 euros, or 79.90 euros for groups of five or more. From 6 p.m., the on-site gastronomy outlets provide the culinary supporting program; kickoff is at 9 p.m.

The Strandbar Herrmann on the Donaukanal, another popular Vienna public viewing location, announced instead: "Leider kein Fußball". When asked whether there would be a repeat, the response on Facebook was that there was "kein weiteres Public Viewing geplant". In general, many public viewings have fallen away this year because a good number of World Cup matches take place at times that start well after closing hour. Added to this was the recommendation to "die Spiele beim Wirten eures Vertrauens anzusehen".

Donauturm and Premium Package

At the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, the 4,000 tickets for the public viewing at the stadium are already sold out, as reported by salzburg.ORF.at. In Upper Austria as well, numerous locations are transforming into fan zones: in Linz, "Tante Käthe" at the Donauparkstadion and the beach bar "Sandburg" on the Donaulände in front of the Brucknerhaus are set up.

At Raschhofer's Rossbräu, all matches that go until midnight are shown on nine flatscreens, and at Sternbräu there are broadcasts in the beer garden. In general, all matches that kick off between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. are shown, including Thursday's match. The reason for the special status of this match is its ideal start time for viewers in Austria at 9 p.m. CEST; compared to a 4 a.m. kickoff, this time nevertheless appears far better suited for public viewing.

Salzburg, Upper Austria, and Lower Austria

In Lower Austria, the city of Wiener Neustadt is hosting the city's largest public viewing in the Stadtpark (2400 Wiener Neustadt). The city of Waidhofen/Ybbs is organizing a public viewing together with the bars YOURS and Bar27 at the Unterer Stadtplatz (3340 Waidhofen/Ybbs), and the municipality of Gänserndorf is hosting at 9 p.m. on the Rathausplatz (2230 Gänserndorf). At the "Genusshütte" on the Mödlingbach, there is a large screen; the hut is open from 4 p.m. and the pre-show for the 9 p.m. kickoff begins then.

In Burgenland, the Sporthotel Kurz in Oberpullendorf (Stadiongasse 16, 7350 Oberpullendorf) is combining the win2day Open Tennis State Championships with football: after the tennis matches, the Center Court transforms into a fan zone with a 21-square-meter LED wall, stadium sound, and food and drinks. In Mattersburg (Arenaplatz 7/1, 7210 Mattersburg) as well, the match will be watched together. The city officials, led by Mayor Silvia Drechsler, are convinced: "Gemeinsam für Österreich Daumen drücken ist einfach das Schönste bei einer solchen Großveranstaltung."

Burgenland: Tennis Meets Football

In Klagenfurt, the Algeria match will be broadcast as a "Silent Game" without sound. No longer taking part this year is the lakeside stage in Mörbisch, where thousands of visitors still gathered to watch football together during the Argentina match. Entry is free at many venues, with capacities ranging from around 500 guests to several thousand.

The sporting background: Austria has made history at the World Cup and for the first time since 1982 has advanced past the group stage, putting the national team in the Round of 16. The dramatic 3:3 against Algeria was ultimately just enough to secure advancement and sparked exuberant celebrations among the red-white-red fans in Kansas City. Particularly large was the turnout for the scheduled marquee match against Argentina, which, unlike the other two group-stage matches, was broadcast at an ideal time starting at 7 p.m.; the public viewing, which was approved for 1,000 people, was quickly sold out.

Federal President Van der Bellen made a request to parents before the match against Spain: "Lasst die Kinder länger aufbleiben". So the motto for Thursday evening is to cheer together — whether in a coffeehouse with a melange and a kipferl, in a bouldering gym, at the Donauturm, or at the ÖFB Campus.

Anyone still looking for a spot at short notice should keep an eye on the organizers' online channels: several venues had already reported "ausverkauft" on Monday morning, while others allow entry from 7 or 8 p.m. Kickoff is at 9 p.m.; the match will be broadcast on Thursday on two large video walls, with supporting programs in Vienna sometimes starting as early as 6 p.m.