Wiener Austria in the ÖFB Cup semi-final: Hartberg meets the favorites!

Wiener Austria in the ÖFB Cup semi-final: Hartberg meets the favorites!

On April 2, 2025, the Viennese Austria and TSV Hartberg will meet in the semi-finals of the ÖFB Cup. The current score is 0-0. For the Viennese Austria, a victory would be the first final in the ÖFB Cup in ten years, while Hartberg is hoping for the premiere in the final. After the last weekend, Austria leads the Bundesliga table after winning 2-0 against Blau-Weiß Linz. The team of coach Stephan Helm has won 15 out of 17 competitive games since October. She suffered the only defeat against Red Bull Salzburg (1-0), while there was a 2-2 draw in the duel against Sturm Graz.

"We are currently considered the most powerful team in the league," said Aleksandar Dragovic and emphasized the need for concentration and hard work. The game takes place in a sold -out stadium, over 13,600 tickets were sold. In addition, Austria won the Cup a total of 27 times, most recently in 2009. The last final in which it took part ended in 2015 with a defeat against Salzburg (0: 2 AD).

competitive details and history

The ÖFB Cup, also known as Uniqa ÖFB Cup, is a national football cup competition for men in Austria and is organized by the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB). It was first held on February 23, 1919 and currently comprises 64 teams in the main round. The winners qualify for the UEFA Europa League. The competition was launched with the aim of increasing the popularity of football in Austria, even if the number of spectators has been lower since the 1950s than in the Bundesliga.

coach Manfred Schmid von Hartberg is optimistic: "We know that the Austria is favorite, but we also see our chances." Hartberg has had difficulties against Austria in the past and has lost ten times in the past twelve duels. Austria won the last meeting 1-0. TSV Hartberg, currently in second place in the Bundesliga qualification group (overall eight), has not won in its three previous semi-finals.

The K.-O. formatting of the ÖFB Cup enables exciting duels and has produced many surprising results over the years. The rules of the rule, such as the introduction of penalty shooting since 1971/72, have also stimulated the competition. While the Austria is a record winner with 27 titles, other clubs such as SK Rapid Vienna and FC Red Bull Salzburg also show an important position in the history of the competition.

With the kick-off at 8:30 p.m., a decisive game begins for both teams, which will decide to move into the final of the ÖFB cup. No matter how the result is, both teams have made it clear that they are determined to write history and inspire their fans.