Austria Sports – The Most Popular Sports in Austria
Wondering what sports the Austrians like to play?
Discover everything about the most popular sports in Austria in this post. ⚽️
The Most Popular Austrian Sports
Find below Austria national sports, ranked by popularity:
| Rank | Sport |
|---|---|
| 1 | Football |
| 2 | Skiing |
| 3 | Ice Hockey |
| 4 | Winter sports |
| 5 | Motorsports |
| 6 | Tennis |
| 7 | Basketball |
So there you have them, the most popular sports in Austria! Keep reading below for more information about each sport in Austria.
What is the National Sport of Austria?
The national sport of Austria is football. Austria is fond of football, and everyone in the country, men and women, kids and grown-ups, young and old, plays the game from local fields to the biggest stadiums of the most prestigious clubs in the country.
Learn More About Austria Popular Sports
Austria is a landlocked country that is located in the southern part of Central Europe. Its capital city is Vienna, which counts more than 1,911,000 inhabitants (but 2,600,000 if you include the metropolitan area).
An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its most popular sports. In light of that, I have listed all Austrian popular sports, and I hope you will love them:
Football
As I have already told you, football is the Austrian national sport and the #1 most popular sport in the country. No matter their age, people play and most importantly watch football. However, the national league is not very reputed compared to other European Leagues like Premier League or La Liga. Because of this, most Austrians watch these leagues instead.
Local leagues still remain popular, and tickets are very affordable compared to other countries. There is a professional league for both men and women, and the most successful football teams in Austria are Rapid Wien, Austria Wien, and Red Bull Salzburg.
Famous Austrian football players: David Alaba, Herbert Prohaska, Anton Polstetr, Marko Arnautović, Marcel Sabitzer, Andreas Herzog
Skiing
The second most popular sport in Austria is skiing. If you have ever seen the Austrian landscapes, you will absolutely not be surprised by the fact that skiing is so appreciated: the Alps shape the major part of the country, and the mountainside resorts are simply picture-perfect.
Many tourists and fans from all around Europe (and even more!) come to Austria to watch international downhill skiing competitions. If you want to see the biggest skiing stars from all around the planet, you should definitely head to Austria!
Famous Austrian skiing players: Toni Sailer, Erik Schinegger, Karl Schranz, Franz Klammer, Annemarie Moser-Pröll, Hermann Maier
Ice hockey
The third most popular sport in Austria is ice hockey. Ever thought ice hockey was specific to North America? Well, in Austria, it is very popular. There is a national men’s league, the ICE Hockey League, and it is made of eleven teams from across the country, on top of some teams from neighboring countries like Slovakia and Italy.
There is one team above the rest in Austria, EC KAC, which comes from the southern city of Klagenfurt. There is also a women’s league, called Dameneishockey-Bundesliga.
Number of ice hockey licensed players in Austria: 7,670
Famous Austrian ice hockey players: Simon Wheeldon, Dominic Lavoie, Thomas Vanek, Michael Grabner, Dieter Kalt Senior, Reinhard Divis
Winter sports
The fourth most popular sport in Austria is other winter sports. You have probably understood it by now, winter sports in Austria are famous. Not only skiing and ice hockey but also many other ones like cross-country skiing, curling, and figure skating.
Cross-country skiing is also very popular among tourists, as they get to visit the beautiful alpine landscapes of Austria. Don’t get me wrong, there are also international cross-country competitions.
The great thing about curling and figure skating is that they are held inside, so both children and adults can enjoy them all year round.
Famous Austrian winter sports players: Martin Stockinger, Katerina Smutna
Motorsports
The fifth most popular sport in Austria is motorsports. While it is true that you will probably not think of Austria first when it comes to the extreme speed that characterizes international motorsports, you would actually be wrong: the country has a prestigious and long history on the track.
For instance, Formula One legend Niki Lauda was born in Vienna. On top of that, 15 other drivers have represented the country in the sport, and the calm and peaceful city of Spielberg erupts every year when it is time to host the Austrian Grand Prix.
Famous Austrian motorsports players: Niki Lauda, Jochen Rindt, Alexander Wurz, Helmut Marko, Roland Ratzenberger, Christian Klien, Harald Ertl
Tennis
The sixth most popular sport in Austria is tennis. Tennis is probably the easiest sport to try for newcomers. It is a widely popular sport around the world, and Austria is no exception to that. The country is not very reputed for its tennis though, but it still hosts a number of international tournaments, like the WTA Linz Open and the ATP Vienna Open for instance.
The most famous Austrian tennis player is currently Dominic Thiem, who won the men’s 2020 US Open.
Number of tennis licensed players in Austria: 171,049
Famous Austrian tennis players: Dominic Thiem, Jürgen Melzer, Thomas Muster, Alexander Peya, Oliver Marach, Stefan Koubek
Basketball
The seventh most popular sport in Austria is basketball. There is a national men’s league named the Österreichische Basketball Bundesliga. Several of its teams have taken part in European competitions.
The Australian national basketball team was exceptionally good until the late 70s, as it kept qualifying for the EuroBasket (6 times more precisely). After that, the team declined as a whole.
The most famous Austrian basketball player is currently Jakob Pöltl, who became the first Austrian NBA player in 2016 when he was selected by the Toronto Raptors.
Famous Austrian basketball players: Jakob Pöltl, Dinos Angelidis, Martin Kohlmaier, Jozo Rados, Franz Vranitzky, August Pitzl, Anton Maresch
So there you have them, these were all the most popular sports in Austria. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today.
In case you want to learn more about sports in other countries, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:
More Sport Facts!
Loved these Austria sports facts? Want to see what sports are the most popular in other countries?
Then check out these posts:
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