First domestic challenge of 2026 in cup

In partnership with

FC Red Bull Salzburg

·31 gennaio 2026

First domestic challenge of 2026 in cup

Quarter-final at WAC on Sunday

January already offered plenty of football action for our Red Bulls, and February finally brings the first domestic competitive match! This Sunday, no sooner than the calendars turn over, we're off to WAC at 17:30 CET for the cup quarter-final as we face a knockout clash against the reigning holders.

The Carinthians have always given us a tough time in recent encounters - with the record from the last five meetings even with two wins, one draw, and two losses. It will be interesting to see what impact the coaching change at WAC in the autumn will have now after the winter break. The also has been a record departure from the Wolves in the meantime. Defender Chibuike Nwaiwu's transfer to Trabzonspor reportedly brought €5.5 million to WAC, but he also leaves a significant void in the defence. While our lads not only enjoyed a promising preparation period but also delivered strong performances in two top-class Europa League matches, this will be the first competitive game of the year for our upcoming opponents. Ismail Atalan's team held a recent training camp in Jerez, Spain. In their last three friendlies, Dejan Zukic and his teammates impressed with three wins. They triumphed against top-flight opponents: Metalist Kharkiv from Ukraine (1-0), Incheon United from South Korea (1-0) and NK Aluminij from Slovenia (3-2).

OneFootball Video

ORF to broadcast and stream

Excitement is to be expected when we visit Carinthia on Sunday evening. By the way: from the quarter-finals on, VAR (Video Assistant Referee) will be in use in the UNIQA ÖFB Cup – for the first time at the VAR centre on the new ÖFB Campus. Fans watching from home in Austria can get the full VAR experience too - you can choose between the live conference on ORF 1 or an individual match stream on ORF ON to cheer on our lads.

Views

Our task against WAC is very demanding because matches in Wolfsberg – as history has shown – are always difficult. Sunday's match will be a completely different challenge than our Europa League game. However, we see it as a positive that we already have two competitive matches under our belts, are looking forward to the challenge, and are determined to make the last four. Since our last victory in the autumn, WAC's lineup has changed slightly due to departures and arrivals. We also don't know what our opponents have planned in preparing for the match. Our goal remains the same though: we want to advance.

Thomas Letsch

We know very well how unpleasant it is to play away against WAC. They have a compact team and, as reigning holders, certainly have a lot of confidence. We are determined to reach the semi-finals though and will play with full confidence. If we play our own game, we can make it through.

Karim Konate

Injury news

Not available are Takumu Kawamura (knee), John Mellberg (thigh) and Valentin Sulzbacher (calf). Yorbe Vertessen (recently ill) is a doubt.

Results so far

FC Red Bull Salzburg

1st round: Union Dietach 0–4 FC Red Bull Salzburg (H/T:0-4) Goals: Ratkov (2), Alajbegovic, Nene
2nd round: FC Dornbirn 1–3 FC Red Bull Salzburg (1-1) Goals: Alajbegovic, Ratkov, Vertessen
Last 16: FC Red Bull Salzburg 3–1 WSG Tirol (1-1, 0-0) Goals: Yeo, Kjaergaard, Bischoff

RZ Pellets WAC

1st round: SPG Wallern/St. Marienkirchen 1–3 RZ Pellets WAC (1-1) Goals: Avdijaj (2), Zukic
2nd round: SVG Reichenau 0–6 RZ Pellets WAC (0-2) Goals: Agyemang, Wohlmuth, Agbevor, Gattermayer, Dosso, Renner
Last 16: SKU Ertl Glas Amstetten 2–3 RZ Pellets WAC AET Goals: Zukic, Gattermayer, Kojzek

Other cup dates

The semi-final draw will be made on Sunday 1 February as part of ORF's coverage following the live cup matches.
Semi-finals: 3- 5 March 2026
Final: 1 May 2026