The performances of the last few months also have an impact on the number of viewers. The ÖFB was only able to sell 3,000 tickets for the World Cup qualifier against Israel. This threatens the worst-attended home game of the post-war period. The previous negative record in an ÖFB competitive game in their own country was 5,200 viewers on March 29, 1995 in the European Championship qualification in Salzburg against Latvia (5: 0). Again at 100 viewers fewer came a year later, on May 29, 1996, to the friendly match against the Czech Republic (1-0), also at the then Lehen stadium. Until the outbreak of the corona pandemic, the 5100 people were the smallest attendance of all ÖFB men’s international matches in Austria after 1945.
In the pandemic, ghost games were on the program. In the test match on October 7, 2020 in Klagenfurt against Greece (2: 1), according to the authorities, there were 3,000 viewers allowed, but only 1,500 came. The 3,000 admitted visitors, on the other hand, were exhausted at the EM dress rehearsal on June 6, 2021 against Slovakia (0-0) in Vienna.
The best-attended ÖFB home game since the Second World War is a comparison with Spain. 90,726 people came to a 3-0 win at Vienna’s Prater Stadium on October 30, 1960. The weakest visit there were 7,000 viewers on November 14, 1990 in the European Championship qualifier against Northern Ireland (0-0). Previous negative record in Klagenfurt for international matches where there was no capacity restriction due to Corona: 9,300 visitors on August 17, 1994 in a test against Russia (0: 3).
In the World Cup qualification, Franco Foda’s team is only in fourth place so far. You can only jump on the World Cup train at the playoffs in March. However, it is questionable whether Foda will then still sit on the bench. The critical voices against him are getting louder and louder. In addition, ÖFB sports director Peter Schöttel is not undisputed. According to media reports, he could be replaced by Thomas Janeschitz, who acted as assistant coach under Marcel Koller.
