As part of our Language of Soccer World Cup series, The Athletic is speaking to supporters of all 48 nations competing at the 2026 edition to capture their unique football culture, distilled into a single phrase. You can read the articles in one place here.“I am from Austria.”Everyone knows and recognises the Red Hot Austrian Fans. The distinctive supporters’ group has become part of the great swirl of colour that defines international football and this June and (they hope) July, at what will be the country’s first World Cup finals appearance since a winless effort at France 1998, they will, again, be the heart of the party.Many of their members have been following Austria’s national team for far longer, but this — the red coats, trousers and ties, with white shirts — has been their identity since the 2016 European Championship in France.That was the first tournament Austria had qualified for since Euro 2008 and for Christian Wolfmayr, who founded the fan group, it was a way to really mark the occasion.“We’re good old friends from years ago,” he tells The Athletic, explaining the group’s origin.“For us,” he says, acting as something of a spokesman as he gestures to the other 10 or so members huddled around him on our video call, “it’s about doing something together, and that’s the main thing. We all like football, of course, we played together over the years, so that we should follow the Austrian team is only natural.”But why the red suits?“It might have been a dream,” Wolfmayr says, jokingly.“No, it was because that European Championship was the first time we’d qualified in years, so it was a really big thing for us as a nation. It was not far to go, from Austria to France, so I asked my friends if they wanted to do something together.“We booked this house in Nice for about 10 days, but I wanted us to wear something special, too, not just lederhosen. So, I went online and found them (the suits).”Initially, it was a core group. Fifteen friends. Today, membership has grown exponentially. The artists formerly known as the Red Hot Chili Suits are now the Red Hot Austrians, and number more than 100. Right from the beginning, though, this has been about more than football — not just supporting the team and the players, but throwing themselves into everything an international tournament has to offer.