Fixed: At least eight international matches in Linz by 2028

The OÖ Nachrichten have already reported, now it’s official: As the ÖFB reported on Wednesday, the cooperation will start next year and run for five years until the end of 2028. During this period, the Austrian national team will play at least eight games in the Raiffeisen Arena. This number can still be increased, it said in a statement. Team boss Ralf Rangnick is considered a supporter of the international match location Linz. The two opening games in the European Championship qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Estonia took place in the newly built LASK stadium, which, in contrast to Vienna’s spacious Happel Stadium with a capacity of 16,500, seemed ideal for these games. Playing in Rapid’s Allianz Arena in the European Championship qualifier against Sweden was also up for discussion, but the club and ÖFB could not come to an agreement.

“We already announced after the games that the Raiffeisen Arena will continue to be an important location for the ÖFB. We were enthusiastic about the atmosphere and the atmosphere in the Raiffeisen Arena,” said Bernhard Neuhold, Managing Director of the ÖFB Wirtschaftsbetriebe GmbH. The team and the entire ÖFB feel very comfortable and welcome in Linz. LASK President Siegmund Gruber described the agreement that has now been reached with the Football Association as an “accreditation”.

Games of the women’s national team and the U21 are not included in the agreement. According to the ÖFB, the fundamental possibility that these teams can also play in the Raiffeisen Arena was explicitly stated.