2. Liga (Austria)

2. Liga (Austria)
The Austrian Football Second League, commonly known as Admiral 2. Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest professional division in Austrian football. It was formerly called the First League (Erste Liga), from 2002 to 2018.
The division currently contains 16 teams, and the champion of the league is promoted to the Austrian Bundesliga. The three last placed teams are directly relegated from the Second League into the regional leagues.
Teams
Starting in the 2018–19 season, the former First League changed its name to the Second League and expanded from ten teams to 16 teams.
Sixteen teams will participate in the 2023–24 season. The only added team is SV Guntamatic Ried, relegated from the 2022–23 Austrian Football Bundesliga, DSV Leoben, Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz and SV Stripfing, promoted from the 2022–23 Austrian Regionalliga.
Due to the suspension of the 2020–21 Austrian Regionalliga, no club was relegated from last season
Relegation
The destination of a club relegated from the Second League depends upon which Land (state) of the Federal Republic it is a member. The relegated clubs join one of the Regionalligen (regional leagues) in the east, centre or west of the country. The three regional league champions are promoted to the Second League. Participation in the professional Second League is conditional on their licensing by the fifth senate of the federal league. If the licence is refused for economic reasons, one team fewer will be relegated.
Past winners
1974–75: Grazer AK
1975–76: First Vienna FC
1976–77: Wiener Sport-Club
1977–78: SV Austria Salzburg
1978–79: Linzer ASK
1979–80: SC Eisenstadt
1980–81: FC Wacker Innsbruck
1981–82: Austria Klagenfurt
1982–83: SV Sankt Veit
1983–84: SV Spittal/Drau
1984–85: Salzburger AK 1914
1985–86: Wiener Sport-Club
1986–87: SV Austria Salzburg
1987–88: Kremser SC
1988–89: Kremser SC
1989–90: SV Spittal/Drau
1990–91: VfB Mödling
1991–92: Linzer ASK
1992–93: Grazer AK
1993–94: Linzer ASK
1994–95: Grazer AK
1995–96: FC Linz
1996–97: SC Austria Lustenau
1997–98: SK Vorwärts Steyr
1998–99: Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz
1999–00: VfB Admira Wacker Mödling
2000–01: FC Kärnten
2001–02: ASKÖ Pasching
2002–03: SV Mattersburg
2003–04: FC Wacker Tirol
2004–05: SV Ried
2005–06: SC Rheindorf Altach
2006–07: LASK Linz
2007–08: Kapfenberger SV
2008–09: SC Wiener Neustadt
2009–10: FC Wacker Innsbruck
2010–11: FC Admira Wacker Mödling
2011–12: Wolfsberger AC
2012–13: SV Grödig
2013–14: SC Rheindorf Altach
2014–15: SV Mattersburg
2015–16: SKN St. Pölten
2016–17: LASK Linz
2017–18: FC Wacker Innsbruck
2018–19: WSG Swarovski Tirol
2019–20: SV Ried
2020–21: FC Blau-Weiß Linz
2021–22: SC Austria Lustenau
2022–23: FC Blau-Weiß Linz
2023–24: TBD
Champions
Name history
The Austrian second division has had several different names and sponsors since 1974.
(Seasons below represent the first season when the name was used)
1974/75 Nationalliga
1975/76 2. Division
1993/94 2. Division der Bundesliga
1998/99 Erste Division
2002/03 Red Zac-Erste Liga
2008/09 ADEG Erste Liga
2010/11 „Heute für Morgen“ Erste Liga
2014/15 Sky Go Erste Liga
2018/19 2. Liga
The league was known as the Sky Go Erste Liga for sponsorship reasons from 2014/15 to 2017/18, but Sky is not mentioned on the official website 2liga.at, or in the ÖFB's 2018/19 preview articles.
References
External links
Bundesliga.at
League321.com - Austrian football league tables, records & statistics database.
Palmsbet.com - Bulgarian football league tables, records & statistics database.
2
Second level football leagues in Europe
Sports leagues established in 1974
1974 establishments in Austria
Professional sports leagues in Austria