First Vienna FC

Foundation and early years

First Vienna FC was founded on 22 August 1894 in Döbling, making it the oldest football club in Austria. The club’s colours blue and yellow derived from Rothschild racing uniforms, while the triskelion logo was designed by Manx player William Beale. On 15 November 1894, Vienna played its first official match, a 0–4 loss to Vienna Cricket and Football-Club. The club captured the Challenge Cup in 1899 and 1900, one of the first international tournaments in Central Europe.

Golden era

Vienna enjoyed major success between the late 1920s and 1930s, winning the Austrian Cup in 1929 and 1930, the Austrian Championship in 1931 and 1933, and the Mitropa Cup in 1931, unbeaten across all matches. The team added another Austrian Cup in 1937.

Gauliga and World War II

Following the Anschluss in 1938, Vienna played in the Gauliga Ostmark. They won divisional titles in 1942, 1943 and 1944, reaching the German Championship Final in 1942 (losing 0–2 to Schalke 04). In 1943, the club became the Tschammerpokal (German Cup) winner, defeating Luftwaffen-SV Hamburg 3–2 after extra time.

Postwar period

After Austria regained independence, Vienna claimed the Austrian Championship in 1955, edging Wiener Sport-Club on goal quotient.

Decline and fluctuating fortunes

From the 1960s, Vienna faced several relegations. They returned to the top flight in 1986, and highlights included two UEFA Cup appearances (1988–89, 1989–90). Vienna…

Austrian Champions (6): 1931, 1933, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1955 Austrian Cup (3): 1929, 1930, 1937 Austrian 2. Landesliga: Champions 2019 Austrian Regionalliga: Champions 2022 Challenge Cup (2): 1899, 1900 German Cup (1): 1943 Mitropa Cup (1): 1931 Liberation Cup (1): 1946 Tournoi de l'Exposition Coloniale (Paris-Vincennes) (1): 1931 Tournoi du Nouvel An du Red Star (1): 1924 (shared) Tournoi de Nöel de Paris : Runners-up 1935