Austria: The eSports scene in Austria

eSports is the new sport, which is more and more to be found in the media.

The trend has been observed worldwide for some time now, and the new electronic sport has also gained a foothold in Austria and is becoming more and more important and widespread. eSports are professional competitions and tournaments in which the best teams in the world compete against each other in various video games.

What started in Asia has found its way all over the world and also to Austria. In the meantime, various eSports teams have already established themselves in Austria, proving their skills both here in Austria and the international arena and doing Austria every credit. We illuminate the eSports scene in Austria.

The Austrian eSports Association (ESVÖ)

The Austrian eSports Association (ESVÖ) was founded in 2007. The country was a pioneer in the field of eSports in Europe. The association is responsible for representing the interests of the eSports clubs and is committed to the country’s players. In cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Health, the association was able to achieve its goals early on and help eSports get started. According to http://www.esvoe.at, the ESVÖ is responsible for various services in the field of eSports in Austria.

Players can borrow equipment and ask for advice and support. Also, the association organizes the Austrian Championships in all federal states and holds LAN parties and events, for which it also trains and provides the referees. The association is located in the Vienna eSports Centre AREA52.

The Austrian leagues

The first eBundesliga in Austria started in 2017. Since then, the country’s best eSports players have been competing against each other in the popular FIFA football match. The league is hosted by https://www.krone.at, in which the well-known teams of the Austrian Football League are represented. That well-known names such as the RB Salzburg or SK Rapid Vienna can be found again.

After an exciting season with numerous online qualifications and club events, the strongest team was crowned champion of the eBundesliga: FC Red Bull Salzburg dominates both on the real and on the electronic turf. The team is the favourite in the real league for the 2019/20 season with betting providers such as https://www.betfair.com/de to win the championship title.

In the eBundesliga, the team is also in the lead because at the end of the 2018/19 season they won the championship title in the electronic league. In addition to the eBundesliga in FIFA, Austria also has the A1 eSports League Austria. With 4,500 participants, it is the country’s largest league, which stages tournaments in various video games.

The Games League of Legends, Clash Royale, rFactor 2 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are played. As announced on https://a1esports.at, the fourth season of the league will start at the end of August, when the best teams from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg will compete against each other again. The A1 eSports League has total prize money of 31,000 euros in store for the winners.

eSports boom

The eSports boom can be seen all over the world and is not missing in Austria either. Already in 2007, the association ESVÖ was founded, which since then has been working for the interests of the eSports players and clubs in the country. The leagues of the A1 eSports League Austria and the eBundesliga of krone.at are among the driving forces of the country’s eSports scene. With thousands of registered players, numerous teams and lots of exciting events and tournaments, eSports is on the upswing in Austria.