Friend of the midget track

ÖFB fan misses Olympic Games with Guatemala

Luis Cordero (left) is chairman of the Friends of the Liliput Railway. Thomas Huber (right) is his deputy.(Bild: Freunde der Liliputbahn)

The trip to the Happel Stadium with a cold drink has been a tradition for the friends of the Liliputbahn for ages. The fan club of the Austrian national soccer team is already dreaming of the 2026 World Cup - and votes heavily in the "Krone" footballer poll. Chairman Luis Cordero almost made it to the Winter Olympics in Cortina with Guatemala's national curling team. 

At the 1998 World Cup, Luis Cordero from Salzburg took a special train to Austria's group match against Chile in St-Etienne. When he moved to Vienna years later, the Liliputbahn in Vienna's Prater turned out to be the perfect means of transportation to the Happel Stadium for international matches. The ride with a cold drink quickly became a tradition among friends.

Thomas Huber (left) and Luis Cordero with the founding certificate.(Bild: Freunde der Liliputbahn)

Fans of Baumgartner and Klauß
In 2015, the match founded the ÖFB fan club "Friends of the Liliputbahn". Personnel accountant Cordero became chairman, geoinformatics specialist Thomas Huber his deputy. Their current favorite player is Christoph Baumgartner: "He had a great year in the national team in 2024, is very likeable and extremely clever." However, the duo did not choose team boss Ralf Rangnick as their coach in the "Krone" footballer poll, but Robert Klauß: "We are also big Rapid fans. He has made a lot of progress in Hütteldorf. It's a completely different style of play now. We also like him as a guy."

But their favorite thing is soccer trips. Traditional arenas such as the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, the San Siro in Milan or Old Trafford in Manchester are particularly appealing to them. They have no love for "white elephants" like the stadiums built for the World Cup in Qatar: "They have no past and no future. The story ends here."

Luis Cordero at the World Cup final with a copy of the trophy in front of the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar.(Bild: Luis Cordero)

World Cup final 2022 as a special adventure
Cordero's story about the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar, where he watched the final of the 2022 World Cup between France and Argentina, is nevertheless exciting: "After Argentina's 3:0 in the semi-final against Croatia, I stayed up all night speculating that Croats would return tickets for the final." That's what happened, Cordero made a purchase on the internet and said to his wife the next morning with the most innocent smile possible: "You, I'm going away for a bit before Christmas."

But then came an even bigger problem: the few flights that were available were far too expensive. After very intensive and lengthy research, Luis flew with Pegasus Airlines via Istanbul to a military airport in Doha at reasonably affordable conditions. The return flight to Munich left at 2 a.m.: "It would have been easy after 90 minutes, but the final was only decided in a penalty shoot-out. But I was very lucky to get the plane at the last minute."

The friends of the Liliputbahn are already dreaming of the 2026 World Cup.(Bild: Freunde der Liliputbahn)

Excellent contacts to Guadalajara
The "Friends of the Liliputbahn" already have their sights firmly set on the next World Cup: "We are certain that Austria will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Hopefully they will then play in Guadalajara. One of our members is married to a Mexican woman and has excellent contacts there." Cordero also hopes that his home country Guatemala will qualify for the World Cup for the first time: "Apart from the seeded host teams Mexico, USA and Canada, there are still five open spots for North and Central America. The chance has never been this big."

Luis Cordero (second from right) is captain of the Guatemalan national curling team. He is also president of the Guatemalan curling association. That's why his nickname in Vienna is "El Presidente".(Bild: Luis Cordero)

Almost got a starting place at the Olympics
His chance to compete at the 2026 Olympic Games in Cortina fell through. Curling was narrowly not included in the program. Otherwise, Cordero would have taken part in the spectacle under the sign of the five rings as captain of the Guatemalan national curling team and president of the local association. Like the quetzal, the Guatemalan national bird, Luis is also a really colorful bird.