Raiffeisen Arena: Love at First Sight

"The Raiffeisen Arena is a wonderful place to celebrate football festivals, thanks to its smart and well-thought-out architecture and unique atmosphere," emphasized Dr. Heinrich Schaller, CEO of Raiffeisenlandesbank OÖ, on the occasion of the stadium's second anniversary. LASK celebrated such a football festival once again on Sunday with an important home victory against Rapid. It marked the team’s 20th win in 43 competitive matches, and since the arena's opening on February 24, 2023, the goal anthem has played an impressive 69 times. Today’s anniversary is the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at the most beautiful moments and key figures from the past two years.

The First Match:
For decades, this moment had been a dream: With the official opening of the new Raiffeisen Arena, February 24, 2023, became a historic date, forever engraved in LASK’s annals. From that day forward, the club finally had a true home. The 1-0 last-minute victory over Austria Lustenau, sealed by Marin Ljubicic’s goal, was the perfect icing on the cake.

The Biggest Win:
Twenty-six years after their last 5-0 triumph over SK Rapid, LASK repeated this feat on April 28, 2024, marking their biggest Bundesliga victory against the Hütteldorf side. A crowd of 17,000 witnessed an unforgettable football spectacle. It wasn’t the only match where the team displayed their goal-scoring prowess—Austria Klagenfurt suffered two 4-0 defeats at the hands of LASK, while a 4-2 win over newly promoted GAK last September saw the team register four goals once again.

Top Scorers:
No one has enjoyed the goal anthem more than Robert Zulj, who triggered "Torjägerzeit" 17 times in the Raiffeisen Arena. Marin Ljubicic follows with 14 goals, while Florian Flecker found the net seven times. In total, 21 different players—including an own goal—contributed to the 69 goals scored in the stadium.

Most Frequent Opponents:
RB Salzburg appears to be a fan of the Raiffeisen Arena, having visited the stadium seven times so far. In addition to five Bundesliga encounters, the ÖFB Cup also featured two clashes against Salzburg. In their most recent meeting, LASK secured a thrilling 2-1 victory after extra time just a few weeks ago, earning a spot in the semifinals. SK Sturm, Rapid, and Austria Klagenfurt have each traveled to Upper Austria four times, while WSG Tirol and GAK have only played a single match in the stadium.

Welcome Guests:
LASK has remained unbeaten against six Austrian teams at the Raiffeisen Arena. Against SK Rapid, they secured three wins and one draw (11:3 goal difference), an identical record to their matchups with Klagenfurt (11:2). Blau-Weiß Linz has yet to take three points from the new stadium, while LASK boasts a perfect record against Austria Lustenau, GAK, and Tirol.

Longest Streak:
LASK enjoyed an impressive six-game home unbeaten run across all competitions from May to September 2023, winning five of those matches—three without conceding a goal. Their longest winning streak includes four consecutive victories: first between August and September 2023 against Blau-Weiß Linz, Zrinjski Mostar, Austria Wien, and Austria Lustenau, and later that same year against Altach, Sturm Graz, Saint-Gilloise, and Tirol. Currently, the team is unbeaten in four straight competitive home games.

Highest Attendance:
Nationally, the "sold out" sign was put up twice at the Raiffeisen Arena, both times for the derby against Blau-Weiß Linz, drawing over 19,000 fans. These matches featured a 2-0 LASK win, with goals from Philipp Ziereis and Robert Zulj, and a thrilling 0-0 draw—both played in an electrifying derby atmosphere. Other well-attended matches included clashes against Sturm (18,500), Salzburg (18,000), and Rapid (17,650). On the international stage, the highly anticipated showdown with Liverpool drew 18,091 spectators (seating only).

In total, approximately 565,000 fans have attended LASK’s 43 competitive matches at the stadium, averaging nearly 13,200 per game—more than doubling the previous average of 4,900 in Pasching. This increase is driven in part by 6,500 season tickets sold in the public sector and 1,500 business subscriptions.

It’s not just LASK that has formed a love affair with the Raiffeisen Arena; the ÖFB also feels right at home in the capital of Upper Austria. The Austrian national team has played in Linz five times so far, with a record of four wins and one draw, scoring 16 goals. "The Raiffeisen Arena meets all the requirements of a modern stadium. It has all the prerequisites to create a top-class atmosphere. When it's sold out, the stadium turns into a real cauldron," raved ÖFB head coach Ralf Rangnick, who looks forward to more visits to LASK's home ground.

The women's teams have also enjoyed the arena: The Athletinnen celebrated a 2-1 home victory against SU Geretsberg after the soft opening in the first LINZ Women’s Football Derby. The stadium also hosted the ÖFB women's team's Euro qualification match against Germany. In total, around 715,000 visitors have attended the 58 matches played at the Raiffeisen Arena.

The impact of the Raiffeisen Arena extends far beyond matchdays, with a wide range of additional events pushing its economic reach to even greater dimensions. Whether it's stadium tours, children's birthdays, school balls, congresses, apprentice days, Christmas parties, trade fairs, baptisms, or weddings, around 120,000 event guests have enjoyed the benefits of the arena's extensive facilities. The Raiffeisen Arena has firmly established itself not only as a popular venue for events but also as an economic engine for the state of Upper Austria and the city of Linz.

This was reaffirmed by Governor Thomas Stelzer during a press breakfast on the occasion of the anniversary. "There are few projects of this magnitude where work is done so consistently and passionately to further develop our region," said the governor. LASK CEO Siegmund Gruber added, "The Raiffeisen Arena is a milestone for the development of LASK and has opened up new opportunities for us in many ways. It is a prime example of what can be achieved when sports, politics, and business pull together and collaborate."

The economic impact is also highlighted by a recent study by renowned economist Prof. Friedrich Schneider, commissioned by Raiffeisenlandesbank OÖ. According to the study, the 2023/24 season alone generated an additional regional GDP of nearly 43 million euros, resulting in an increased mass income of 19.53 million euros. The employment effects are equally impressive: In 2022, the construction of the Raiffeisen Arena created or secured 950 additional jobs. These are remarkable figures that add to the celebration and already ignite anticipation for the years to come—ensuring that every visit to the Raiffeisen Arena continues to bring heartbeats and shining eyes.