Red Bull Salzburg have come a long way, and though they were formed way back in 1933, it is in the past two or three decades that they truly established themselves as domestic giants as well as a side capable of making a real impact in Europe.
Emergence as Austrian Force
SV Austria Salzburg were created after the merging of two clubs from the city (Hertha and Rapid), and in 1953, they experienced their first season in the Austrian top flight and by the early 1970s, they were genuine title challengers, finishing runners-up in 1970/71, which led to their first European matches which came in the UEFA Cup (the forerunner to the UEFA Europa League).
In 1978, they were renamed SV Casino Salzburg and changed again in 1997 to SV Wustenrot Salzburg, again due to sponsorship reasons.
First Austrian Title
As SV Austria Salzburg, the club dominated the Austrian Bundesliga, winning the competition in 1993/94, 1994/95, and 1996/97.
Their early success in this period came under celebrated coach Otto Baric, who had previously achieved a great deal at Rapid Vienna.
It was during this period that they reached their first European final when, in 1993/94, they beat a series of quality sides to set up a clash with Italian giants Internazionale, with the Serie A side winning both legs 1-0 and clinching the title.
Red Bull Takeover
In April 2005, the club was purchased by Red Bull, and this initially caused some consternation among fans, but the immediate success achieved during this period soon quelled and soothed any issues.
Veteran Italian Giovanni Trappatoni was appointed head coach, and he led the club to the Austrian title in 2006/07, their first title in a decade.
Between 2006/07 and 2022/23, the club won the Austrian Bundesliga title 14 times, but their efforts to make extended outings in the UEFA Champions League proved somewhat disastrous.
UEFA Champions League Struggles
On eleven occasions, the club failed to navigate their way through the qualifying rounds to the coveted group stage, but this run came to an end in 2019/20, when they qualified directly to this phase but managed just two wins from their six games, both against Belgian side Genk.
2021/22 saw Red Bull Salzburg make it out of their group phase for the first time when they finished second in a group that included Sevilla, Lille, and VfL Wolfsburg.
They then took on German behemoths Bayern Munich and were annihilated 8-2 on aggregate.
Historial Pace Setters
Up to 2022/23, Red Bull Salzburg have collected 17 domestic titles; only Rapid Wien and FK Austria Wien have won more.
Red Bull Arena - Guide
The Red Bull Arena was opened in March 2003 and is a purpose-built complex that is the pride of Austria.
The venue has a capacity of 30,188 and was used extensively during the Euro 2008 finals and was renovated in 2005, 2006, and 2007.
The actual capacity for Austrian Bundesliga matches is actually reduced to 17,218, which makes the clamour for Red Bull Salzburg tickets all the more pronounced.
