About 2. Liga
2. Liga History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
The Austrian Football Second League (also known as the 2.Liga) is the second tier of men’s professional football in Austria. It was founded in 1974 and is organized by the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB). The 2.Liga was formerly known as the Erste Liga (First League) from 2002 to 2018, but has since been known as the 2.Liga. It ranks behind the Bundesliga and ahead of the Regionalliga (third division) on the Austrian football pyramid.
The 2.Liga operates on a relegation-promotion system, with a set number of top-ranked teams being promoted to the Bundesliga while a set number of bottom-ranked teams are demoted to the Regionalliga. Teams in the 2.Liga are also eligible to take part in the annual Austrian Cup competition each season.
LASK Linz is among the most successful teams in 2.Liga history, while other teams, such as Grazer AK and FC Wacker Innsbruck, have also enjoyed success in recent times.
Media rights to the 2.Liga in Austria were initially under the umbrella of public TV broadcaster ORF from the 1960s to the late 1990s. Starting from the turn of the 21st century, media rights were sold to several private TV providers, including Premiere Sport Austria and Sky Sport Austria. However, in the mid 2010s, ORF reacquired media rights in a multi-year deal that was subsequently renewed and has been broadcasting and live-streaming 2.Liga matches in Austria over the past few years.
