View source for Karlsruher SC

{{Short description|German professional football club}}
{{Other uses|Karlsruhe (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname    = Karlsruher SC
| fullname    = Karlsruher Sport-Club<br>Mühlburg-Phönix e. V.
| image       = Karlsruher SC Logo 2.svg
| upright     = 0.8
| nickname    = KSC, Eurofighter (since 93–94 season)
| current     = 2024–25 Karlsruher SC season
| founded     = {{Start date and age|1894|6|6|df=yes}}
| ground      = [[Wildparkstadion|BBBank Wildpark]]
| capacity    = 34,302
| chairman    = Holger Siegmund-Schultze<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ksc.de/club/organisation/beirat | title=Beirat: KSC - MEINE HEIMAT }}</ref>
| chrtitle    = President
| mgrtitle    = Head coach
| manager     = [[Christian Eichner]]
| league      = {{German football updater|Karlsruhe}}
| season      = {{German football updater|Karlsruhe2}}
| position    = {{German football updater|Karlsruhe3}}
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}}

'''Karlsruher Sport-Club Mühlburg-Phönix e. V.''', better known as '''Karlsruher SC''', is a [[Football in Germany|German association football club]], based in [[Karlsruhe]], [[Baden-Württemberg]] that currently plays in the [[2. Bundesliga]], the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909 and won the [[DFB-Pokal]] in 1955 and 1956. In Europe, KSC won the [[1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup|UEFA Intertoto Cup]] in 1996, which remains the club's last major honor.

Formed as Karlsruher Fussball Club Phönix in 1894, the modern form of the club was formed as the result of several mergers in 1952, and its early success granted KSC a spot in the [[1963-64 Bundesliga|inaugural Bundesliga season]] in 1963. KSC spent the next few decades as a [[yo-yo club]], frequently being promoted and relegated between the top two divisions, with their best [[Bundesliga]] season coming in 1996 when KSC finished 6th in the table. Relegation followed in 1998, and the club has since spent all but two seasons between the second and [[3. Liga|third tiers.]] KSC maintains a fierce rivalry with [[VfB Stuttgart]], in which old [[Badenese]]-[[Württemberg]]ian animosities are played out. 

==History==
===A succession of mergers===
The most successful of these ancestral clubs was Karlsruher Fussball Club Phönix, formed on 6 June 1894 by dissatisfied gymnastics club Karlsruher Turngemeinde members. They quickly became a strong regional side, playing in the [[Südkreis-Liga]], and won the national title in 1909, defeating defending champions [[BFC Viktoria 1889|Viktoria 89 Berlin]] 4–2 in the championship final that season. In 1912, Phönix merged with KFC Alemannia, established in 1897, to create KFC Phönix (Phönix Alemannia).

[[Image:Phoenix karlsruhe ca1897.png|110px|thumb|left|First Logo of Phönix Karlsruhe in 1897]] It was as Phönix Karlsruhe that the club joined the [[Gauliga Baden]], one of 16 top-flight divisions created in the re-organization of German football under the [[Third Reich]]. They slipped from the first division for a single season in 1936, but returned to compete as a mediocre side over the next several years. In the 1943–44 season, Karlsruhe played with Germania Durlach as the combined wartime side named KSG (Kriegssportgemeinschaft) Phönix/Germania Karlsruhe. After World War II in 1946, Phönix re-emerged to compete in the newly formed first division Oberliga Süd, finishing 15th in their first season there. The club was relegated the following season.

[[Image:VfB Karlsruhe.png|110px|thumb|left|Logo of predecessor side VfB Karlsruhe ca. 1931.]]Two other threads in the evolution of ''KSC'' were the formation of FC Mühlburg in 1905 out of 1. FV Sport Mühlburg (founded in 1890) and Viktoria Mühlburg (founded in 1892), and the merger of FC Germania (founded in 1898) and ''FC Weststadt'' (founded in 1902) to form VfB Karlsruhe in 1911. FC Mühlburg and VfB Karlsruhe would, in turn, merge to form VfB Mühlburg in 1933. The group of clubs which came together to form VfB Mühlburg were an undistinguished lot, sharing just one season of upper-league play between them. The new side, however, started to compete in the first-division Gauliga Baden immediately after the league was established in 1933.

[[File:Karlsruher Performance Chart.png|260px|thumb|Historical chart of Karlsruher SC league performance]]
A lower-table side through the 1930s, VfB's performance improved considerably in the following decade. As war overtook the country, the Gauliga Baden was sub-divided at various times into a number of more local city-based circuits, and the team was able to earn three second-place finishes in divisional play. The Gauliga Baden collapsed in 1944–45 after playing a significantly reduced schedule in which many teams, including Mühlburg, were unable to compete. After the war the club slipped from top-flight competition until earning promotion to the [[Oberliga Süd (1945–63)|Oberliga Süd]] in 1947. They generally competed as a mid-table side here with the exception of a strong performance in 1951 when they narrowly missed an advance to the national championship rounds after earning a third-place result just a single point behind [[SpVgg Greuther Fürth|SpVgg Fürth]].

===The formation of Karlsruher SC===
KFC Phoenix and VfB Mühlburg united to form the Karlsruher Sport-Club Mühlburg-Phönix e. V., on 16 October 1952 and the new team earned good results throughout the remainder of the decade. In 1955, they beat [[FC Schalke 04|Schalke 04]] 3–2 to win the [[DFB-Pokal]], and repeated the success next year with a 3–1 win over [[Hamburger SV]]. That season, they also made an appearance in the national final, where they lost 2–4 to [[Borussia Dortmund]]. KSC was Oberliga Süd champion in 1956, 1958 and 1960, as well as runner-up in the DFB-Pokal in 1960, when they lost the final match 2–3 to [[Borussia Mönchengladbach]]. Their record earned them admission as one of sixteen founding clubs into Germany's new professional football league, the [[Bundesliga]], when it began play in 1963.

Karlsruhe struggled in the top flight, never managing better than a 13th-place finish over five seasons before finally being demoted to the second-division [[Regionalliga Süd (1963–74)|Regionalliga Süd]]. Over the next three seasons, the team earned a first-place finish as well as two-second-place finishes there but were unable to advance in the promotion rounds. After the 1974 formation of the [[2. Bundesliga]], which consisted of two divisions at the time, KSC finished first in the 2. Bundesliga Süd and returned to the top flight for the 1975–76 season but were able to stay up for only two years. They next returned to the first division in 1980, where they spent four seasons before being sent down again. After a two-year absence, they were promoted back to the Bundesliga in 1987 to begin an extended stay.

===The Schäfer era===
Under the guidance of new coach [[Winfried Schäfer]], KSC's return to the top flight was marked with some success as for the first time, the team managed to work its way out of the bottom half of the league table. In the 1993–94 season, the club had a successful run in the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]], going out in the semi-finals on [[away goals]] to [[SV Austria Salzburg|Austria Salzburg]] after beating, in turn, [[PSV Eindhoven|PSV]], [[Valencia CF|Valencia]], [[FC Girondins de Bordeaux|Bordeaux]] and [[Boavista F.C.|Boavista]]. Their  7–0 second-round victory over Valencia, a top team in the Spanish [[La Liga]] at the time and in historical terms as well, might be considered the high point of the club's history in its centennial year. Edgar "Euro Eddy" Schmitt scored 4 goals and became a club legend. Between 1992 and 1997, the club was ranked in the single digits in six consecutive Bundesliga seasons, and participated in two more UEFA Cups, reaching the third round both in the 1996–97 and 1997–98 seasons, being eliminated from the competition after losing their second-leg matches to [[Brøndby IF|Brøndby]] and [[FC Spartak Moscow|Spartak Moscow]] respectively. In 1995, KSC won the [[DFB-Hallenpokal]], an indoor football tournament that was traditionally held during winter breaks of the Bundesliga seasons. They also played in the final of the DFB-Pokal in 1996 but lost 0–1 to [[1. FC Kaiserslautern]].

As the millennium drew to a close, Karlsruhe faded. The club started the 1997–98 Bundesliga season well, with two wins and a draw in their opening three matches, but their downfall began with a 1–6 defeat to [[Bayer 04 Leverkusen|Bayer Leverkusen]] on Day 4. At the league winter break the club sat outside the relegation ranks, but a series of negative results pushed them down to 15th place until the second-last matchday of the season. Schäfer was fired in March 1998, but this did not keep the club from slipping to the Second Bundesliga after a 16th-place finish. The club needed an away draw against [[F.C. Hansa Rostock|Hansa Rostock]] on the final day of the season to avoid relegation but lost the match 2–4 while Borussia Mönchengladbach beat [[VfL Wolfsburg]] 2–0 to overtake KSC and finish 15th on [[goal difference]].

===After relegation from the Bundesliga in 1998===
KSC finished fifth in their first season in the 2. Bundesliga after relegation, only two points behind third-place [[SSV Ulm 1846]] which was promoted to the Bundesliga. However, a last place finish in a terrible 1999–2000 season played under dire financial circumstances dropped them down to the [[Regionalliga Süd (1994–2012)|Regionalliga Süd]] (III). The club rebounded and on the strength of a first-place result in the Regionalliga made a prompt return to second division play. After four seasons of mediocre play that saw KSC narrowly avoid being sent further down, the team turned in a much-improved performance and earned a sixth-place result in 2005–06.

===From 2007===
KSC secured the 2007 [[2. Bundesliga]] title with three games left in the season by way of a 1–0 victory over [[SpVgg Unterhaching]] on 29 April, combined with a draw by second-placed Hansa Rostock on 30 April.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesliga.com/de/bundesliga?omi=46560&reiter=b&tag=31&fla=1|title=Bundesliga – Die offizielle Seite|website=bundesliga.de – die offizielle Webseite der Bundesliga}}</ref> KSC maintained its dominance over the course of the season, playing 14 matches (nine wins, five draws) before suffering their first loss of the campaign at the hands of [[FC Erzgebirge Aue|Erzgebirge Aue]]. They became the first team in the history of the single-division 2. Bundesliga to occupy the top spot throughout the whole season.

In their return season to the Bundesliga in 2007–08 they finished 11th, fading in the second half of the year after a strong start that saw them positioned in the qualifying places for [[UEFA|European competition]]. The club continued to perform poorly in the 2008–09 season, ultimately finishing 17th and finding themselves relegated to the 2. Bundesliga once more. The club's two most recent campaigns there ended with 10th and 15th-place finishes. Karlsruhe finished second level as 16th and faced [[SSV Jahn Regensburg|Jahn Regensburg]] with relegation play-offs. These teams draw with as 1–1 at Regensburg and as 2–2 at Karlsruhe. This meant Karlsruhe's relegation to third tier after 12 years according to [[away goal rule]].

The club successfully bounced back in 2012–13 when it won a championship in the 3. Liga and earned promotion back to the 2. Bundesliga.

2014–15 would see the club come close to a return to the Bundesliga, a third-place finish would see them play a promotion play-off against Hamburg, and after a 1–1 draw in Hamburg in the first leg, KSC were seconds away from promotion, only for Hamburg to score an equaliser in the 90th minute to force extra time, where they would score a winning away goal late in the second half to secure their Bundesliga status for another season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abendblatt.de/sport/article210371403/Was-der-HSV-mit-dem-beispiellosen-Absturz-des-KSC-zu-tun-hat.html|title=Was der HSV mit dem rasanten Absturz des KSC zu tun hat|last=Hamburg|first=Hamburger Abendblatt-|date=26 April 2017|website=abendblatt.de|language=de-DE|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref>

In 2019, Karlsruhe won 4–1 against [[SC Preußen Münster|Preußen Münster]] on matchday 31,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kicker.de/muenster-gegen-karlsruhe-2019-liga-4278739/ticker|title=LIVE! Preußen Münster – Karlsruher SC, 3. Liga, Saison 2018/19, 37. Spieltag|website=kicker|language=de|access-date=11 May 2019}}</ref> therefore returning to the 2. Bundesliga after a hiatus of two years.

===Reserve team===
{{main|Karlsruher SC II}}
The [[Karlsruher SC II]], historically also referred to as Karlsruher SC Amateure, is a successful side in its own right, playing for many years as high up as the Regionalliga Süd. At the end of the 2011–12 season, the team was forcefully relegated to the Oberliga because of the relegation of the first team to the 3. Liga as reserve teams of 3. Liga clubs are not permitted in the Regionalliga anymore from 2012. The team had suffered a similar fate in 2000, when the first team was relegated to the Regionalliga Süd and the reserve team therefore had to leave this league despite finishing above the relegation ranks.

Between 1991 and 2000, the team also won the [[North Baden Cup]] on four occasions, thereby qualifying for the first round of the DFB-Pokal on each occasion. Its greatest success in this competition was reaching the third round in [[1996–97 DFB-Pokal|1996–97]].<ref>[http://www.weltfussball.de/spielplan/dfb-pokal-2014-2015-achtelfinale/0/ DFB-Pokal] {{in lang|de}} Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 11 January 2015</ref>

After many restrained years, in which the targeted promotion was clearly missed, the already greatly reduced second team was discontinued for financial reasons at the end of the 2017–18 Oberliga season.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ka-news.de/ksc/news/Karlsruhe~/Bittere-Entscheidung-im-Wildpark-KSC-meldet-zweite-Mannschaft-ab;art516931,2195643|title=Bittere Entscheidung im Wildpark: KSC meldet zweite Mannschaft ab!|last=ka-news|date=6 March 2018|work=ka-news.de|access-date=4 June 2018|language=de-DE}}</ref> However, KSC reopened its second team as a fans' team for the 2019–20 season and entered the Kreisklasse C, the lowest level of league football in Karlsruhe and North Baden.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ksc.de/verein/info/news/show/article/ksc-ii-feiert-rueckkehr-als-fanmannschaft/ |title=KSC II feiert Rückkehr als Fanmannschaft |work=KSC.de |publisher=Karlsruher SC |date=12 June 2019 |language=de}}</ref>

===League timeline===
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2024}}
<timeline>
ImageSize = width:1500 height:60
PlotArea  = left:10 right:10 bottom:30 top:10
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period     = from:01/07/1975 till:01/07/2026
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:1976
Colors =
  id:bl1  value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.5)
  id:bl2  value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.3)
  id:rs  value:rgb(0.8,0.6,0.6)

PlotData= 
  bar:Position width:17 color:white align:center

  from:01/07/1975 till:01/07/1976  shift:(0,-4) text:15
  from:01/07/1976 till:01/07/1977  shift:(0,-4) text:16
  from:01/07/1977 till:01/07/1978  shift:(0,-4) text:7
  from:01/07/1978 till:01/07/1979  shift:(0,-4) text:5
  from:01/07/1979 till:01/07/1980  shift:(0,-4) text:2
  from:01/07/1980 till:01/07/1981  shift:(0,-4) text:10
  from:01/07/1981 till:01/07/1982  shift:(0,-4) text:14
  from:01/07/1982 till:01/07/1983  shift:(0,-4) text:17
  from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984  shift:(0,-4) text:1
  from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1985  shift:(0,-4) text:17
  from:01/07/1985 till:01/07/1986  shift:(0,-4) text:7
  from:01/07/1986 till:01/07/1987  shift:(0,-4) text:2
  from:01/07/1987 till:01/07/1988  shift:(0,-4) text:15
  from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/1989  shift:(0,-4) text:11
  from:01/07/1989 till:01/07/1990  shift:(0,-4) text:10
  from:01/07/1990 till:01/07/1991  shift:(0,-4) text:13
  from:01/07/1991 till:01/07/1992  shift:(0,-4) text:8
  from:01/07/1992 till:01/07/1993  shift:(0,-4) text:6
  from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1994  shift:(0,-4) text:6
  from:01/07/1994 till:01/07/1995  shift:(0,-4) text:8
  from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996  shift:(0,-4) text:7
  from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997  shift:(0,-4) text:6
  from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/1998  shift:(0,-4) text:16
  from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/1999  shift:(0,-4) text:5
  from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/2000  shift:(0,-4) text:18
  from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2001  shift:(0,-4) text:1
  from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2002  shift:(0,-4) text:13
  from:01/07/2002 till:01/07/2003  shift:(0,-4) text:13
  from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2004  shift:(0,-4) text:14
  from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005  shift:(0,-4) text:11
  from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2006  shift:(0,-4) text:6
  from:01/07/2006 till:01/07/2007  shift:(0,-4) text:1
  from:01/07/2007 till:01/07/2008  shift:(0,-4) text:11
  from:01/07/2008 till:01/07/2009  shift:(0,-4) text:17
  from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2010  shift:(0,-4) text:10
  from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011  shift:(0,-4) text:15
  from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012  shift:(0,-4) text:16
  from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2013  shift:(0,-4) text:1
  from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2014  shift:(0,-4) text:5
  from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2015  shift:(0,-4) text:3
  from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016  shift:(0,-4) text:7
  from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2017  shift:(0,-4) text:18
  from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2018  shift:(0,-4) text:3
  from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2019  shift:(0,-4) text:2
  from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2020  shift:(0,-4) text:15
  from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2021  shift:(0,-4) text:6
  from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2022  shift:(0,-4) text:12
  from:01/07/2022 till:01/07/2023  shift:(0,-4) text:7
  from:01/07/2023 till:01/07/2024  shift:(0,-4) text:5
  from:01/07/2024 till:01/07/2025  shift:(0,-4) text:8
  from:01/07/2025 till:01/07/2026  shift:(0,-4) text:

  from:01/07/1975 till:01/07/1977  color:bl1  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[1. Bundesliga]]"
  from:01/07/1977 till:01/07/1980  color:bl2  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[2. Bundesliga]]"
  from:01/07/1980 till:01/07/1983  color:bl1  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[1. Bundesliga]]"
  from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984  color:bl2  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[2. Bundesliga|2. BL]]"
  from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1985  color:bl1  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[1. Bundesliga|1. BL]]"
  from:01/07/1985 till:01/07/1987  color:bl2  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[2. Bundesliga]]"
  from:01/07/1987 till:01/07/1998  color:bl1  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[1. Bundesliga]]"
  from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/2000  color:bl2  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[2. Bundesliga|2. BL]]"
  from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2001  color:rs   shift:(0,13)  text: "[[Regionalliga|RLS]]"
  from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2007  color:bl2  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[2. Bundesliga]]"
  from:01/07/2007 till:01/07/2009  color:bl1  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[Bundesliga|1. BL]]"
  from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2012  color:bl2  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[2. Bundesliga|2. BL]]"
  from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2013  color:rs   shift:(0,13)  text: "[[3. Liga|3. L]]"
  from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2017  color:bl2  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[2. Bundesliga|2. Bundesliga]]"
  from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2019  color:rs   shift:(0,13)  text: "[[3. Liga|3. L]]"
  from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2026  color:bl2  shift:(0,13)  text: "[[2. Bundesliga|2. BL]]"
</timeline>

==Honours==
The club's honours:
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===League===
* '''[[List of German football champions|German football championship]]'''
** Champions: [[1909 German football championship|1909]]
** Runners-up: [[1956 German football championship|1956]]
* '''[[Southern German championship]]'''
** Champions: 1909, 1955–56, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1974–75
* '''[[Südkreis-Liga]]''' (I)
** Champions: 1909
** Runners-up: 1910, 1912
* '''[[Bezirksliga Baden]]''' (I)
** Champions: 1933
** Runners-up: 1928, 1931
* '''[[Gauliga Baden]]'''
** Runners-up: 1935
* '''[[Oberliga Süd (1945–63)|Oberliga Süd]]''' (I)
** Champions: [[1955–56 Oberliga|1955–56]], [[1957–58 Oberliga|1957–58]], [[1959–60 Oberliga|1959–60]]
* '''[[2. Bundesliga]]''' (II)
** Champions: 1974–75, [[1983–84 2. Bundesliga|1983–84]], [[2006–07 2. Bundesliga|2006–07]]
** Runners-up: 1979–80, [[1986–87 2. Bundesliga|1986–87]]
* '''[[Regionalliga Süd (1963–74)|Regionalliga Süd]]''' (II)
** Champions: [[1968–69 Regionalliga|1968–69]]
** Runners-up: [[1969–70 Regionalliga|1969–70]], [[1970–71 Regionalliga|1970–71]], [[1972–73 Regionalliga|1972–73]]
* '''[[Regionalliga Süd (1994–2012)|Regionalliga Süd]]''' (III)
** Champions: [[2000–01 Regionalliga|2000–01]]
* '''[[3. Liga]]''' (III)
** Champions: [[2012–13 3. Liga|2012–13]]
** Runners-up: [[2018–19 3. Liga|2018–19]]
{{col-2}}

===Cup===
* '''[[DFB-Pokal]]'''
** Winners: [[1954–55 DFB-Pokal|1954–55]], [[1955–56 DFB-Pokal|1955–56]]
** Runners-up: [[1959–60 DFB-Pokal|1959–60]], [[1995–96 DFB-Pokal|1995–96]]
* '''[[Baden Cup]]''' (Tiers III–V)
** Winners: 2012–13, [[2017–18 Verbandspokal|2017–18]], [[2018–19 Verbandspokal|2018–19]]

===International===
*'''[[UEFA Intertoto Cup]]'''
** Champions: [[1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup|1996]]
*'''[[UEFA Intertoto Cup|Intertoto Cup]]'''
** Winners: [[1988 Intertoto Cup|1988]] <small>(group 10)</small>, [[1992 Intertoto Cup|1992]] <small>(group 4)</small>

===Reserve team===
* '''[[Oberliga Baden-Württemberg]]'''
** Champions: 1989–90, 1995–96, 2004–05
* '''[[Verbandsliga Nordbaden]]''' (IV–V)
** Champions: 1982–83, 1988–89, 1993–94
* '''[[Amateurliga Nordbaden]]''' (III)
** Champions: 1964–65
* '''[[North Baden Cup]]'''
** Winners: 1990–91, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1999–2000
{{col-end}}
* All pre-1952 titles listed here were won by Phönix Karlsruhe

==Players==
===Current squad===
{{updated|3 February 2025}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Kader: KSC |url=https://www.ksc.de/profis/team/spieler |website=Karlsruher SC |access-date=10 October 2023 |language=de}}</ref>
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no= 1|nat=GER|name=[[Max Weiß (footballer)|Max Weiß]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no= 2|nat=GER|name=[[Sebastian Jung]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no= 4|nat=GER|name=[[Marcel Beifus]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no= 5|nat=GER|name=[[Robin Heußer]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no= 6|nat=GER|name=[[Leon Jensen]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no= 7|nat=BIH|name=[[Dženis Burnić]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no= 9|nat=SUI|name=[[Andrin Hunziker]]|pos=FW|other={{small|on loan from [[FC Basel|Basel]]}}}}
{{Fs player|no=10|nat=GER|name=[[Marvin Wanitzek]]|pos=MF|other=[[Captain (association football)|captain]]}}
{{Fs player|no=14|nat=DEN|name=[[Mikkel Kaufmann]]|pos=FW|other={{small|on loan from [[1. FC Heidenheim]]}}}}
{{Fs player|no=16|nat=GER|name=[[Luca Pfeiffer]]|pos=FW|other={{small|on loan from [[VfB Stuttgart]]}}}}
{{Fs player|no=17|nat=GER|name=[[Nicolai Rapp]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=18|nat=GER|name=Aki Koch|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=19|nat=TUN|name=Louey Ben Farhat|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=GER|name=[[David Herold (footballer)|David Herold]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=21|nat=GER|name=Meiko Wäschenbach|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=22|nat=AUT|name=[[Christoph Kobald]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=24|nat=GER|name=[[Fabian Schleusener]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=25|nat=GER|name=[[Lilian Egloff]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=26|nat=GER|name=Benedikt Bauer|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=27|nat=TUR|name=Ali-Eren Ersungur|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=28|nat=GER|name=[[Marcel Franke]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=29|nat=GER|name=[[Lasse Günther]]|pos=FW|other={{small|on loan from [[FC Augsburg|Augsburg]]}}}}
{{Fs player|no=30|nat=GER|name=[[Robin Himmelmann]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=31|nat=GER|name=[[Bambasé Conté]]|pos=FW|other={{small|on loan from [[TSG 1899 Hoffenheim|TSG Hoffenheim]]}}}}
{{Fs player|no=32|nat=GER|name=[[Robin Bormuth]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=33|nat=KOS|name=[[Mustafë Abdullahu]]|pos=GK|other={{small|on loan from [[KF Tirana|Tirana]]}}}}
{{Fs player|no=38|nat=TUR|name=[[Efe-Kaan Sihlaroglu]]|pos=MF}}
{{fs end}}

===Out on loan===
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no= 8|nat=SUI|name=[[Noah Rupp]]|pos=MF|other={{small|at [[FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy|Stade Lausanne Ouchy]] until 30 June 2025}}}}
{{fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=TUR|name=Eren Öztürk|pos=MF|other={{small|at [[VSG Altglienicke]] until 30 June 2025}}}}
{{Fs end}}

===Reserve team squad===
{{main|Karlsruher SC II}}

==Coaching staff==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Position
! Name
|-
| Head coach ||{{flagicon|GER}} [[Christian Eichner]]
|-
| Assistant head coach ||{{flagicon|BIH}} [[Zlatan Bajramović]]
|-
| Assistant coach ||{{flagicon|GER}} Sirus Motekallemi
|-
| Goalkeeper coach ||{{flagicon|GER}} [[Markus Miller]]
|-
| Fitness coach ||{{flagicon|GER}} Florian Böckler
|-
| Rehab coach||{{flagicon|GER}} Wendelin Wäcker
|-
| Team Doctor ||{{flagicon|GER}} Dr. Marcus Schweizer
|-
| Physiotherapist ||{{flagicon|ITA}} Matteo Poppert <br/> {{flagicon|ENG}} Kevin Benz
|-
| Kit man ||{{flagicon|GER}} Torsten Merkel <br/> {{flagicon|GER}} Cafer Aydogan
|-
| Laundry ||{{flagicon|GER}} Gloria Schorb
|-
| Bus Driver ||{{flagicon|GER}} Thomas Laschuk <br/> {{flagicon|GER}} Andreas Heinrich
|-
| Technical Director ||{{flagicon|GER}} [[Necat Aygün]]
|-
| Youth Chief Scout ||{{flagicon|GER}} [[Sebastian Freis]]
|-
| Team Manager ||{{flagicon|GER}} [[Burkhard Reich]] <br/> {{flagicon|GER}} Sarah Saliba
|}

===Coaching history===
Coaches of the club since 1952:<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.weltfussball.de/teams/karlsruher-sc/9/ | title = Karlsruher SC .:. Trainer von A-Z | language = de | publisher = weltfussball.de | access-date = 18 September 2011}}</ref>
{|
|-
| valign="top" |
*[[Hans Hipp]] – 16 October 1952 – 30 April 1953
*Friedel Moser – 1 May 1953 – 30 June 1953
*[[Adolf Patek]] – 1 July 1953 – 31 July 1956
*[[Ludwig Janda]] – 1 July 1956 – 30 June 1959
*[[Eduard Frühwirth]] – 1 July 1959 – 30 June 1962
*[[Kurt Sommerlatt]] – 1 July 1962 – 26 January 1965
*[[Helmut Schneider]] – 27 January 1965 – 18 October 1965
*[[Werner Roth (footballer, born 1925)|Werner Roth]] – 19 October 1965 – 1 November 1966
*[[Paul Frantz]] – 2 November 1966 – 24 October 1967
*[[Georg Gawliczek]] – 25 October 1967 – 8 February 1968
*[[Herbert Widmayer]] – 10 February 1968 – 18 February 1968
*[[Bernhard Termath]] – 19 February 1968 – 30 June 1968
*[[Kurt Baluses]] – 1 July 1968 – 21 May 1971
*[[Carl-Heinz Rühl]] – 1 July 1973 – 30 June 1977
*[[Bernd Hoss]] – 1 July 1977 – 26 October 1977
*[[Rolf Schafstall]] – 27 October 1977 – 15 April 1978
*[[Walter Baureis]] – 1 July 1978 – 26 November 1978
*[[Manfred Krafft]] – 1 July 1978 – 30 June 1981
*[[Max Merkel]] – 27 November 1981 – 30 June 1982
*[[Horst Franz]] – 1 July 1982 – 31 January 1983
*[[Werner Olk]] – 1 July 1984 – 22 March 1985
*[[Lothar Buchmann]] – 26 March 1985 – 25 April 1986
*[[Winfried Schäfer]] – 1 July 1986 – 25 March 1998
| valign="top" |
*[[Jörg Berger]] – 25 March 1998 – 25 August 1998
*[[Rainer Ulrich]] – 26 August 1998 – 15 October 1999
*[[Joachim Löw]] – 28 October 1999 – 19 April 2000
*[[Stefan Kuntz]] – 1 July 2000 – 25 October 2002
*[[Lorenz-Günther Köstner]] – 1 November 2002 – 20 December 2004
*[[Reinhold Fanz]] – 28 December 2004 – 4 January 2005
*[[Edmund Becker]] – 13 January 2005 – 19 August 2009
*[[Markus Kauczinski]] – 20 August 2009 – 3 September 2009
*[[Markus Schupp]] – 3 September 2009 – 1 November 2010
*[[Markus Kauczinski]] – 1 November 2010 – 21 November 2010
*[[Uwe Rapolder]] – 22 November 2010 – 1 March 2011
*[[Rainer Scharinger]] – 2 March 2011 – 31 October 2011
*[[Markus Kauczinski]] – 31 October 2011 – 6 November 2011
*[[Jørn Andersen]] – 6 November 2011 – 26 March 2012
*[[Markus Kauczinski]] – 26 March 2012 – 30 June 2016
*[[Tomas Oral]] – 1 July 2016 – 4 December 2016
*[[Lukas Kwasniok]] – 4 December 2016 – 22 December 2016
*[[Mirko Slomka]] – 3 January 2017 – 4 April 2017
*[[Marc-Patrick Meister]] – 4 April 2017 – 20 August 2017
* [[Christian Eichner]], [[Zlatan Bajramović]] – 20 August 2017 – 29 August 2017
* [[Alois Schwartz]] – 29 August 2017 – 3 February 2020
* [[Christian Eichner]] – 3 February 2020 – 
|}

==Recent seasons==
The recent season-by-season performance of the club:<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.f-archiv.de/ | title = Historical German domestic league tables | language = de | publisher = Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv | access-date = 18 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fussball.de/fussball-ergebnisse-die-top-ligen-bei-fussball-de/id_45692854/index |publisher=Fussball.de |title=Tables and results of all German football leagues |language=de |access-date=18 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518003238/http://www.fussball.de/fussball-ergebnisse-die-top-ligen-bei-fussball-de/id_45692854/index |archive-date=18 May 2011 }}</ref>
{{List missing criteria|reason=how recent is 'recent'? the 1960s? or 1999 (Karlsruher SC II)? who decides this?|date=January 2024}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Karlsruher SC===
<ref name="auto">30 Jahre Bundesliga (1963–1993), DFB special edition booklet</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-  style="text-align:center; background:#dfdfdf;"
| '''Season'''
| '''Division'''
| '''Tier'''
| '''Position'''
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1963–64<ref name="auto"/>
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1. Bundesliga]]
| rowspan=5| I
| 13th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1964–65
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 15th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1965–66
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 16th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1966–67
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 13th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1967–68
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 18th ↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1968–69
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Regionalliga Süd (1963–1974)|Regionalliga Süd]]
| rowspan=7| II
| 1st
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1969–70
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| 2nd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1970–71
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| 2nd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1971–72
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| 5th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1972–73
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| 2nd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1973–74
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| 8th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1974–75
| style="text-align:left;"| [[2. Bundesliga|2. Bundesliga Süd]]
| style="background:#ddffdd"| 1st ↑
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1975–76
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| rowspan=2| I
| 15th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1976–77
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 16th ↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1977–78
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga Süd
| rowspan=3| II
| 7th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1978–79
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga Süd
| 5th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1979–80
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga Süd
| style="background:#ddffdd"| 2nd ↑
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1980–81
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| rowspan=3| I
| 10th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1981–82
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 14th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1982–83
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 17th ↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1983–84
| style="text-align:left;"| [[2. Bundesliga]]
| II
| style="background:#ddffdd"| 1st ↑
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1984–85
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| I
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 17th ↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1985–86
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| rowspan=2| II
| 7th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1986–87
| style="text-align:left;"| [[2. Bundesliga]]
| style="background:#ddffdd"| 2nd ↑
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1987–88
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| rowspan=11| I
| 15th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1988–89
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 11th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1989–90
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 10th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1990–91
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 13th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1991–92
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 8th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1992–93
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 6th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1993–94
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 6th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1994–95
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 8th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1995–96
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 7th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1996–97
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| 6th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1997–98
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 16th ↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1998–99
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| rowspan=2| II
| 5th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1999–2000
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 18th ↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2000–01
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Regionalliga Süd (1994–2012)|Regionalliga Süd]]
| III
| style="background:#ddffdd"| 1st ↑
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2001–02
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| rowspan=6| II
| 13th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 13th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2003–04
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 14th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 11th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 6th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| style="background:#ddffdd"| 1st ↑
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2007–08
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| rowspan=2| I
| 11th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2008–09
| style="text-align:left;"| 1. Bundesliga
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 17th ↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2009–10
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| rowspan=3| II
| 10th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 15th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2011–12
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 16th ↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2012–13
| style="text-align:left;"| [[3. Liga]]
| III
| style="background:#ddffdd"| 1st ↑
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2013–14
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| rowspan=4| II
| 5th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2014–15
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 3rd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2015–16
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 7th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2016–17
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 18th ↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2017–18
| style="text-align:left;"| 3. Liga
| rowspan=2|III
| 3rd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2018–19
| style="text-align:left;"| 3. Liga
| style="background:#ddffdd"| 2nd ↑
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2019–20
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| rowspan=7| II
| 15th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2020–21
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 6th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2021–22
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 12th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2022–23
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 7th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2023–24
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 5th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2024–25
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 8th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2025–26
| style="text-align:left;"| 2. Bundesliga
| 
|}
{{col-2}}

===Karlsruher SC II===
{| class="wikitable"
|-  style="text-align:center; background:#dfdfdf;"
| '''Season'''
| '''Division'''
| '''Tier'''
| '''Position'''
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1999–00
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Regionalliga Süd (1994–2012)|Regionalliga Süd]]
| III
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 12th↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2000–01
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Oberliga Baden-Württemberg]]
| rowspan=5| IV
| 8th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2001–02
| style="text-align:left;"| Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
| 11th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
| 15th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2003–04
| style="text-align:left;"| Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
| 4th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
| style="background:#ddffdd"| 1st↑
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| rowspan=3| III
| 11th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| 14th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2007–08
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| 16th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2008–09
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| rowspan=4| IV
| 16th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2009–10
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| 10th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| 10th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2011–12
| style="text-align:left;"| Regionalliga Süd
| style="background:#ffcccc"| 5th↓
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2012–13
| style="text-align:left;"| Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
| rowspan=6| V
| 12th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2013–14
| style="text-align:left;"| Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
| 5th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2014–15
| style="text-align:left;"| Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
| 6th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2015–16
| style="text-align:left;"| Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
| 4th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2016–17
| style="text-align:left;"| Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
| 12th
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2017–18
| style="text-align:left;"| Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
| 15th (folded)
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2018–19
| style="text-align:center;" colspan=3| defunct
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2019–20
| style="text-align:left;"| Kreisklasse C1 Karlsruhe
| XI
|
|}
{{col-end}}
* With the introduction of the [[Regionalliga]]s in 1994 and the [[3. Liga]] in 2008 as the new third tier, below the [[2. Bundesliga]], all leagues below dropped one tier. In 2012, the number of Regionalligas was increased from three to five with all Regionalliga Süd clubs except the Bavarian ones entering the new [[Regionalliga Südwest]].{{cn|date=January 2024}}

;Key
{|class="wikitable" align="center"
| style="background:#ddffdd"| ↑ <small>[[Promotion and relegation|Promoted]]</small>
| style="background:#ffcccc"| ↓ <small>[[Promotion and relegation|Relegated]]</small>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
*{{Official website}}
*[http://www.weltfussball.de/teams/karlsruher-sc/ Karlsruher SC] at Weltfussball
*[http://www.f-archiv.de/ Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv] – historical German domestic league tables {{in lang|de}}

{{Karlsruher SC}}
{{2. Bundesliga}}
{{Bundesliga}}
{{3. Liga}}
{{Original Bundesliga clubs}}
{{UEFA Intertoto Cup winners}}
{{U19 Bundesliga South Southwest}}
{{U17 Bundesliga South Southwest}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karlsruhe, Sc}}
[[Category:Karlsruher SC]]
[[Category:Football clubs in Germany|k]]
[[Category:Football clubs in Baden-Württemberg]]
[[Category:Sport in Karlsruhe]]
[[Category:Association football clubs established in 1894]]
[[Category:1894 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines]]
[[Category:UEFA Intertoto Cup winning clubs]]
[[Category:Bundesliga clubs]]
[[Category:2. Bundesliga clubs]]
[[Category:3. Liga clubs]]