The Sportklub Rapid, commonly known as Rapid Wien, is an Austrian professional football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, as well as a German championship in 1941 during Nazi rule. Rapid twice reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1985 and 1996, losing on both occasions.

Football is the most popular sport in Austria. The Austrian Football Association, the ÖFB, was founded in 1904 and has been a member of FIFA since then. Despite the sport's popularity, except for a successful streak in the early 1930s, the country's national team has not been successful in tournaments. Austria played their first ever European championship as a qualifier in 2016, but finished last in their group and failed to advance. Their only prior appearance in the European championship was in 2008, but was promptly eliminated already at the group stage.