The 2025–26 Austrian Football Bundesliga is starting next week, with Sturm Graz being the two-time defending champions. They upset Red Bull Salzburg for the second season in a row after the Red Bulls dominated the league for 10 years. The competition will be heated between the two teams once again this season.
The 2025–26 Austrian Bundesliga full schedule was released back in May, with the competition kicking off on August 1, 2025, and ending in May 2026. The opening matchup will be between the defending champions, Sturm Graz, and LASK in the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz. There will be 12 teams competing for the title as usual in this Admiral Bundesliga season, with Red Bull Salzburg and Sturm Graz as clear favorites.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | Austrian Football Bundesliga Season 2025/26 (Admiral Bundesliga) |
| ⚽️ Venues: | Stadiums Across Austria |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 1 August 2025 – May 2026 |
The Admiral Bundesliga is the top Austrian league, and its relegated teams go down to the Austrian Football Second League. The competition consists of only 12 teams, as each team plays a total of 22 matches in the regular season. After that, the top six teams enter the championship group, and the bottom six teams join the relegation group.
The Austrian Bundesliga usually starts in the first week of August, and it runs for about nine months until May. SV Guntamatic Ried got promoted to the Admiral Bundesliga this season, while Austria Klagenfurt got relegated to the Austrian Second League.
This will be the 114th edition of the Austrian Football Bundesliga, as the league was first established in 1911, and Rapid Vienna won the first-ever title. The Green-Whites have also won the most championships of any Austrian club (32), while their rivals Austria Vienna have won 24 titles, and Red Bull Salzburg have 12 championships to their names so far.
Here’s a list of the last five Austrian Bundesliga winners, with Sturm Graz and Red Bull Salzburg the only two teams to win the title in the last 12 editions:
Here’s a look at the 2025–26 Austrian Football Bundesliga winner odds and the favorites to win the title from the best football bookies with season winner odds:
Red Bull Salzburg are the powerhouse of the league as always. The Red Bulls sold Amar Dedic and Samson Baidoo in the pre-season and signed the talented forward Kerim Alajbegovic. They dominated the league from 2013 to 2023 and won 10 consecutive titles. RB Salzburg sacked Pep Lijnders last December and signed Thomas Letsch as their new coach.
Sturm Graz are coming off a great Austrian Bundesliga season, in which they had by far the best offense in the league, having scored 66 goals in 32 games. Almost none of their league-winning squad is leaving this year, and they have signed Filip Rozga and Axel Kayombo this month to increase the squad depth.
Rapid Vienna didn’t really perform well in the 2024–25 Austrian Bundesliga season after finishing 5th, but they managed to beat LASK Linz in the UEFA Conference League playoffs. They also lost to Stripfing in the round of 16 in the OFB Cup as huge favorites, so they are aiming for a better season this time, but it would be tough for them to win the league. The Green-Whites also sold one of their best players in Isak Jansson to Nice.
Austria Vienna were very close to winning the league last season, as they were tied in points for first with Sturm Graz in the regular season, but they had very bad results in the championship group and finished in third place. The Violets managed to reach the OFB Cup semifinals, and they lost to Hartberg as big favorites. Austria Vienna’s transfer window has been quiet so far, but they can definitely compete for the title if they improve their offense.
LASK Linz missed the championship group last season for the second time in the last eight years, so they should bounce back this season with a good performance. They had some good results in the OFB Cup, beating RB Salzburg to reach the semifinals, but they lost on penalties in a tough game against Wolfsberger. The Black-Whites had one of the worst five defenses in the league last season.
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The best sportsbooks in Austria are giving us some enticing odds on Sturm Graz to win the title. They had an amazing performance in the last Austrian Bundesliga regular season, scoring 51 goals in 22 games, 18 more goals than Red Bull Salzburg. The Blacks beat the Red Bulls in three of their four encounters last season as well, so they have what it takes to compete with Salzburg again this year with much better odds.
The Blacks are performing well in the friendly matches in the pre-season, as they are unbeaten in six games played so far. They look more solid defensively now, which is exactly what they need to beat RB Salzburg and win the league for the third time in a row.
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BW Linz have absolutely dominated this Rapid Vienna team last season. They met four times, with Linz winning three games and drawing one, and they conceded only one goal in those four matches. Rapid Vienna beat BW Linz by two or more goals only once in their last seven encounters. The odds on this pick are very nice, especially since BW Linz always do well against the Green-Whites.
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Austria Vienna beat Grazer AK twice last season, and they are looking good in the pre-season so far as well. Grazer finished 11th in the last Austrian Bundesliga regular season, and they haven’t done anything that proves that they will improve this time. The Violets are the much better team in this matchup, and they always get off to a good start in the league, so they have a good chance of winning this game.
Here is how we concluded our 25/26 Austrian Bundesliga season betting guide, offering the following tips:
Winning the third title in a row for Sturm Graz is very achievable, and they have the potential to do so. Make sure to use our 25/26 Austrian Bundesliga season predictions and bet on them at the betting sites in Austria to have more fun watching the event.
