View source for Football in Germany

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox sport overview
| boxwidth      = 250
| title         = Football in Germany
| image         = {{CSS image crop
| Image = Olympiastadion Berlin Sep-2015.jpg
| bSize = 245
| cWidth = 220
| cHeight = 158
| oTop = 30
| oLeft = 
| Location = center
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| caption       = {{longitem|[[Olympiastadion (Berlin)|Olympiastadion]] in [[Berlin]], used by<br>[[Hertha BSC]], the [[Germany National football team|national football team of Germany]] and for the final of the [[DFB-Pokal]]}}
| union         = [[German Football Association|DFB]]
| country       = Germany
| sport         = association football
| noncountry    = <!-- other country this country represents -->
| teamlabel1    = <!-- overrides the "National team" label with custom label -->
| nationalteam  = [[Germany national football team|Germany]]
| teamlabel2    = <!-- overrides the "Representative team" label with customer label -->
| repteam       = <!-- overrides the representative team link, requires full wikitext syntax -->
| nickname      = <!-- nicknames -->
| first         = {{start date and age|1874}}
| registered    = 
| clubs         = 31,000F
| national_list = {{Plainlist|
* [[FIFA World Cup]]  
* [[UEFA European Championship]] 
* [[UEFA Nations League]] 
}} 
| club_list     = {{collapsible list| 
*'''League''': <br />[[Bundesliga]] <br /> [[Frauen-Bundesliga]] <br /> [[2. Bundesliga]] <br /> [[3. Liga]]<br /> [[Regionalliga]]: <br />[[Regionalliga Nord]]<br /> [[Regionalliga Nordost]]<br />[[Regionalliga West]]<br />[[Regionalliga Südwest]]<br />[[Regionalliga Bayern]]<br />[[Oberliga (football)|Oberliga]]<br />[[Landesliga]]<br />[[Verbandsliga]]
*'''Cups''': <br /> [[DFB-Pokal]] <br /> [[DFB-Pokal Frauen]] <br /> [[DFL-Supercup]] <br /> [[DFB-Supercup Frauen]]
}}
| intl_list     = {{Plainlist|
* [[FIFA Club World Cup]] 
* [[UEFA Champions League]]
* [[UEFA Women's Champions League]]
* [[UEFA Europa League]]  
* [[UEFA Conference League]] 
* [[UEFA Super Cup]]
}} 
| match         = 
| league        = 
}}

[[Image:AllianzArenaSunset.jpg|thumb|280px|[[Allianz Arena]] in [[Munich]], home stadium of club [[FC Bayern Munich]]]]
[[File:Union-Fans-Choreographie.jpg|thumb|280px|Supporters choreography for the [[German Football Association]] club [[1. FC Union Berlin]]]]

[[Association football|Football]] is the most popular [[sport in Germany]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21578448-what-germanys-football-victory-says-about-its-role-europe-tor-tor-tor |title=German football: Tor! Tor! Tor! |newspaper=The Economist |date=25 May 2013 |access-date=7 October 2013 |archive-date=12 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112132136/https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21578448-what-germanys-football-victory-says-about-its-role-europe-tor-tor-tor |url-status=live }}</ref> with 57% of the population declaring interest in watching it.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2024 |title=TGM Global Euro Survey 2024 {{!}} Insights in Germany. |url=https://tgmresearch.com/euro-2024-insights-in-germany.html |access-date=28 June 2024 |website=TGM Research}}</ref> The [[German Football Association]] ({{langx|de|Deutscher Fußball-Bund|link=}} or {{lang|de|DFB}}) is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6&nbsp;million members (roughly eight percent of the population) organized in over 31,000 football clubs. There is a [[league system]], with the [[Bundesliga]], [[2. Bundesliga]] and [[3. Liga]] on top. The winner of the Bundesliga is crowned the [[German football champions|German football champion]]. Additionally, there are [[domestic cup]] competitions, most notably the [[DFB-Pokal]] (German Cup) and [[DFL-Supercup]] (German Supercup).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anorak.co.uk/357802/sports/a-wonderful-history-of-german-football-clubs-in-europe-1960-til-now.html/ |title=A wonderful history of German football clubs in Europe: 1960 til now |publisher=Anorak |date=3 October 2013 |access-date=7 October 2013 |archive-date=12 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130912175431/http://www.anorak.co.uk/357802/sports/a-wonderful-history-of-german-football-clubs-in-europe-1960-til-now.html/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Germany national football team]] has won four [[FIFA World Cup]]s ([[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]], [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]]), being the joint-second most successful nation in the tournament only surpassed by [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]]. It also holds three [[UEFA European Championship]]s ([[UEFA Euro 1972|1972]], [[UEFA Euro 1980|1980]], [[UEFA Euro 1996|1996]]), behind only [[Spain national football team|Spain]], and won the [[FIFA Confederations Cup]] in [[2017 FIFA Confederations Cup|2017]].

The [[Germany women's national football team]] has won two [[FIFA Women's World Cup]]s ([[2003 FIFA Women's World Cup|2003]], [[2007 FIFA Women's World Cup|2007]]) and a record eight [[UEFA Women's Championship|UEFA European Women's Championships]] ([[1989 European Competition for Women's Football|1989]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 1991|1991]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 1995|1995]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 1997|1997]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 2001|2001]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 2005|2005]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 2009|2009]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 2013|2013]]), as well as a gold medal in the [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]] in [[Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2016]]. Germany was the first nation to win both the men's and women's World Cup. No country has more combined men's and women's World Cup championships, and only the United States has won more combined men's and women's regional/continental championships ([[United States Soccer Federation|United States]] 17 in [[CONCACAF]], [[German Football Association|Germany]] 11 in [[UEFA]]). Germany was the host of the FIFA World Cup in 1974 (which was during the period they were known as [[West Germany national football team results|West Germany]]), of which they were victorious, and [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]], the UEFA European Championship in [[UEFA Euro 1988|1988]] and [[UEFA Euro 2024|2024]], and the now-discontinued [[FIFA Confederations Cup]]<nowiki/>p in [[2005 FIFA Confederations Cup|2005]]. They also hosted the [[1989 European Competition for Women's Football|1989]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 1995|1995]] and [[UEFA Women's Euro 2001|2001]] editions of the UEFA European Women's Championship, as well as the [[2011 FIFA Women's World Cup]].

The women's league system has the [[Frauen-Bundesliga]], [[2. Frauen-Bundesliga]], and [[Frauen-Regionalliga]]. The [[DFB-Pokal Frauen]] is the main national cup competition.

==History==
{{Main|History of German football}}

===Introduction to German football===
The first football match arguably took place in [[Braunschweig]] in 1874. Two schoolteachers, [[August Hermann]] and [[Konrad Koch]], initiated the first match after Hermann had obtained a round football from England.<ref name=Hardman>{{cite book| author1 = Hardman, Ken| author2 = Roland, Naul| title = Sport and Physical Education in Germany| publisher= Routledge| year = 2005| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZpsWZrosNGMC&q=gymnastics+%22+august+hermann%22| isbn = 978-1-13580-291-2}}</ref> In 1875, Koch published the first German version of the [[Laws of the Game (association football)|rules of football]], although Koch's version of the game still closely resembled [[Rugby football]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.fussball-kultur.org/spielfelder/recherchen/2011-03-erwachen-aus-dem-grossen-traum.html| title = Erwachen aus dem "großen Traum"| publisher = Deutsche Akademie für Fußballkultur| language = de| access-date = 2015-07-01| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150702090231/http://www.fussball-kultur.org/spielfelder/recherchen/2011-03-erwachen-aus-dem-grossen-traum.html| archive-date = 2015-07-02}}</ref>

===First football clubs===
The [[Dresden English Football Club]] is considered the first modern football club in Germany and probably the first in continental Europe.<ref name=Dresden>{{cite web |url=http://www.dsc-fussball98.de/content/conpresso/news/6357.html |title=Von England über Dresden in alle Welt - DSC ältester Verein |publisher=Dresdner SC 1898 e.V. |date=11 July 2006 |accessdate=1 July 2013 |language=German |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026095431/http://www.dsc-fussball98.de/content/conpresso/news/6357.html |archivedate=26 October 2012 }}</ref><ref name=vergessen>{{cite web |last=Friedmann |first=Fabian |url=http://www.dsc-fussball98.de/content/conpresso/presse/17576.html |title=Der vergessene Klub des Helmut Schön |publisher=Dresdner SC 1898 e.V. |date=25 November 2010 |accessdate=30 July 2013 |language=German |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715223619/http://www.dsc-fussball98.de/content/conpresso/presse/17576.html |archive-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was founded in 1874 by Englishmen living and working around [[Dresden]]. In the following 20 years the game achieved a growing popularity. Football clubs were founded in [[Berlin]], [[Hamburg]] and [[Stuttgart]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article227103/Als_die_Englaender_noch_dauernd_siegten.html|title=Als die Engländer noch dauernd siegten|work=Die Welt|language=de|publisher=Welt.de|author=Andreas Wittner|date=2006-07-04|access-date=2010-12-21|archive-date=15 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415012150/http://www.welt.de/print-welt/article227103/Als_die_Englaender_noch_dauernd_siegten.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Foundation To World War I===
On 28 January 1900, representatives from 86 football clubs from [[German-speaking Europe|German-speaking areas]] in and outside the [[German Empire]] met in the restaurant ''Mariengarten'' in [[Leipzig]], founding the DFB. The founding meeting was led by E. J. Kirmse, chairman of the ''Leipziger Fussball Verband (Leipzig Football Association)''. Ferdinand Hueppe, representing the [[DFC Prag]], was elected the first president of the DFB.

Already some years before 1900, associations like the ''Bund Deutscher Fussballspieler'' or ''Deutscher Fussball und Cricket-Bund'' were founded, but they were limited to smaller areas of the German Empire, in those cases to areas around [[Berlin]]. The first championship beyond municipal areas was held in 1898 by the ''Verband Sueddeutscher Fussball-Vereine (Association of South German football clubs)'', later affiliated with the DFB.

The [[Germany national football team]] has represented Germany in international football competitions since 1908. It is controlled by the [[German Football Association]] (DFB), the domestic governing body of Germany's football in Germany.

=== Weimar Republic ===

Germany national football team played its first post-WWI match on 27 June 1920 in [[Zürich]] against Switzerland, which the Swiss team won 1:4.

Club football was centered in the region of [[Franconia]] during the 1920s as [[1. FC Nürnberg]] and [[SpVgg Fürth]] dominated the competition.

In 1919, the proletarian Arbeiter-Turnbund was renamed [[Arbeiter-Turn- und Sportbund]] (ATSB). The name change especially reflected the incorporation of football into the federation, which promoted leftist political views and attempted to break the monopolisation of football under the umbrella of the DFB.

=== Nazi Germany ===

With the rise of Nazism, left-leaning sporting associations such as the ATSB and [[Rotsport]] were banned. Communist sporting officials such as Ernst Grube, Reichstag deputy and head of Rotsport, were murdered in concentration camps. The DFB integrated as ''Fachamt Reichsfußball'' into the [[National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise]]. From 1933 to 1945 the highest level of play in German football was organised in 16 [[Gauliga|Gauligen]], whose winners qualified for the finals in the German championship, held at the end of season.

===Inter-war period===

After the war, Germany was occupied in three states. The DFB and its team continued in what was called [[West Germany]], while the [[Saarland national football team|Saarland]] and [[East Germany national football team|East Germany]] fielded separate teams for some years.

===East and West===

The [[FIFA World Cup 1974]] was staged in West Germany, and both German teams were drawn in the same group in the first round. Meeting on 22 June 1974 in a politically charged match in Hamburg, East Germany beat West Germany 1–0, on a goal by [[Jürgen Sparwasser]]. Both German teams advanced to the second round anyway. The GDR team was eliminated there, while the DFB team eventually went on to win the tournament.

===Reunification===
In the year of [[German reunification]] (1990), West Germany secured its third World Cup as West and East Germans celebrated together. The present-day Germany national team is identical to the team representing what was informally called West Germany from 1949 to 1990, as the [[German Football Association]] was again recognized by FIFA after WW2. Nothing changed in 1990 except enlarged membership due to the access of East German states and players, thus the continuity in the German logo and uniform style as well as references to Germany's four World Cup and three European Cup titles. Thus, all references to a "former West German team" are considered by many as false - according to the DFB, this team still exists, called Germany.

Germany's greatest triumphs since 1990 have been winning the 2014 World Championship in Brazil, and the 1996 European Championship secured in England with players from both the former West, including ([[Jürgen Klinsmann]] as captain) and East ([[Matthias Sammer]]) as anchor of the defence.

===New millennium===
The greatest success for German team in the new millennium has been their winning the [[2014 FIFA World Cup]]. They had also finished in second place to Brazil at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan and second place at the 2008 European Championship. There was also a third place at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and in addition another third place at World Cup 2010. Germany's women have achieved even greater success, winning both the [[2003 FIFA Women's World Cup]] in the US and the [[2007 FIFA Women's World Cup]] in China.

==German Football Association==
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:DFBTriangles.svg|thumb|140px|[[German Football Association]] (''DFB'') logo.]] -->
The national association is the [[German Football Association]] (or Deutscher Fußball-Bund) headquartered in [[Frankfurt]].

The DFB was founded in 1900 in [[Leipzig]], by the representatives of 86 clubs. Today, the association has some 31,000 member clubs which field 170,000 teams with over 2&nbsp;million players: these numbers include 870,000 female members and 8,600 women's teams. With over six million active and passive members, the DFB is the world's largest sports federation.

=== National team ===

===Men's===
{{main article|Germany national football team}}
[[File:FIFA WC-qualification 2014 - Austria vs. Germany 2012-09-11 (03).jpg|thumb|right|[[Germany national football team]] in 2012]]
The Germany national football team has represented Germany in international football competitions since 1908. It is controlled by the [[German Football Association]] (DFB), the governing body of football in Germany.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-black/fascism-and-soccer_b_3018401.html |title=Alan Black: Fascism and Soccer |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=5 April 2013 |access-date=2014-06-23 |archive-date=11 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811063426/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-black/fascism-and-soccer_b_3018401.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Doyle |first=Paul |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/nov/24/forgotten-story-football-1936-olympics |title=The forgotten story of … football, farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics {{pipe}} Paul Doyle {{pipe}} Sport |work=theguardian |date=2011-11-24 |access-date=2014-06-23 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815125534/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/nov/24/forgotten-story-football-1936-olympics |url-status=live }}</ref> They have won four FIFA World Cups and have been runners up on four occasions.

Since the [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954 World Cup]], the Germany national team has been outfitted by the German firm [[adidas]]. For home games, the German team wears white jerseys, black shorts and white socks in honour of the [[Prussia]]n colours. Along with black both red and gold, the other two colours of the German flag, have been included in the strip over the years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/06/15/sports/worldcup/how-we-play.html|title=How We Play|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2015-03-11|date=15 June 2014|archive-date=9 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109234233/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/06/15/sports/worldcup/how-we-play.html?|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Blake |first=Mariah |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/hitler-s-world-cup-fascists-and-football-hit-the-stage-a-420276.html |title=Hitler's World Cup: Fascists and Football Hit the Stage - SPIEGEL ONLINE |publisher=Spiegel.de |date=2006-06-08 |access-date=2014-06-23 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402133650/http://www.spiegel.de/international/hitler-s-world-cup-fascists-and-football-hit-the-stage-a-420276.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Traditionally, the Germans have worn green jerseys, white shorts and green socks as their alternate uniform. In recent years, however, the Germans have changed their away uniform to grey in 2002–2003, black in 2004 and recently to red. The Germans wore red as their alternate colour in the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]].

The Germany national team during the 2006 World Cup was coached by former captain Jürgen Klinsmann. Since 12 July 2006, former Assistant Coach [[Joachim Löw]] has coached the national team. Its current captain is [[Bayern Munich]] goalkeeper [[Manuel Neuer]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bundesliga.com/en/news/Tournaments/noblmd2-neuer-norway-germany-2018-world-cup-qualifying-preview.jsp|title=Germany ready to usher in Neuer era in Norway {{!}} Norway - Germany {{!}} FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifying {{!}} Group C {{!}} Preview - bundesliga.com|website=bundesliga.com - the official Bundesliga website|access-date=2016-09-06|archive-date=12 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112132214/http://www.bundesliga.com/en/news/Tournaments/noblmd2-neuer-norway-germany-2018-world-cup-qualifying-preview.jsp|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Women's===
{{main article|Germany women's national football team}}
[[File:Deutsche Nationalmannschaft.JPG|thumb|right|[[Germany women's national football team|Germany national football team]] in 2012]]
The German women's national football team, also organised by the DFB, are two-time world champions, having won the [[FIFA Women's World Cup]] in [[2003 FIFA Women's World Cup|2003]] under past coach [[Tina Theune-Meyer]] and [[2007 FIFA Women's World Cup]] under current coach [[Silvia Neid]]. They are the first women's team to have successfully defended a World Cup. They have also won eight [[UEFA Women's Championship]]s ([[1989 European Competition for Women's Football|1989]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 1991|1991]], [[1995 UEFA Women's Championship|1995]], [[1997 UEFA Women's Championship|1997]], [[2001 UEFA Women's Championship|2001]], [[2005 UEFA Women's Championship|2005]], [[2009 UEFA Women's Championship|2009]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 2013|2013]]), which includes six consecutive titles. Germany is the only nation to have won both the men's and women's World Cup and European Championship.

The Germany women's team are also the first to have won a World Cup at senior level, either for men or women, without conceding a single goal, having done so in 2007. [[Nadine Angerer]] was the goalkeeper who managed this feat.

===Home stadiums===
The national teams play in various [[List of football stadiums in Germany|stadiums throughout Germany]]. The cities of [[Düsseldorf]], [[Munich]], [[Dortmund]] and [[Berlin]] are some of the more popular locations.

== Men's honours ==
{{main|Germany national football team}}

=== Major competitions ===
'''[[FIFA World Cup]]'''
* '''Champions (4)''': [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]], [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]]
* Runners-up (4): [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]], [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]], [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]
* Third place (4): [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]], [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]]
* Fourth place (1): [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]]

'''[[UEFA European Championship]]'''
* '''Champions (3)''': [[UEFA Euro 1972|1972]], [[UEFA Euro 1980|1980]], [[UEFA Euro 1996|1996]]
* Runners-up (3): [[UEFA Euro 1976|1976]], [[UEFA Euro 1992|1992]], [[UEFA Euro 2008|2008]]
* Third place (3): [[UEFA Euro 1988|1988]], [[UEFA Euro 2012|2012]], [[UEFA Euro 2016|2016]]

'''[[Football at the Summer Olympics|Summer Olympic Games]]'''
* '''Gold Medal (1)''': [[Football at the 1976 Summer Olympics|1976]]
* Silver Medal (2): [[Football at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980]], [[Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|2016]]
* Bronze Medal (3): [[Football at the 1964 Summer Olympics|1964]], [[Football at the 1972 Summer Olympics|1972]], [[Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988]]
* Fourth place (1): [[Football at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952]]

'''[[FIFA Confederations Cup]]'''
* '''Champions (1)''': [[2017 FIFA Confederations Cup|2017]]
* Third place (1): [[2005 FIFA Confederations Cup|2005]]

'''[[UEFA Nations League]]'''
* Fourth place (1): [[2024-25 UEFA Nations League|2024-25]]

{| class="wikitable" style="width:30%; font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|-
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}" colspan="5" | Overview
|-
! Event
!style="width:14%; background:gold;" | 1st place
!style="width:14%; background:silver;" | 2nd place
!style="width:14%; background:#c96;" | 3rd place
!style="width:14%; background:#9acdff;" | 4th place
|-
|align=left|{{nowrap|[[FIFA World Cup]]}}
! 4
! 4
! 4
! 1
|-
|align=left|{{nowrap|[[UEFA European Championship]]}}
! 3
! 3
! 3
! x
|-
|align=left|{{nowrap|[[Football at the Summer Olympics|Summer Olympic Games]]}}
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 1
|-
|align=left|{{nowrap|[[FIFA Confederations Cup]]}}
! 1
! 0
! 1
! 0
|-
|align=left|{{nowrap|[[UEFA Nations League]]}}
! 0
! 0
! 0
! 1
|-
|-style="background:silver"
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}" | Total
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}; width:14%" | 9
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}; width:14%" | 9
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}; width:14%" | 11
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}; width:14%" | 3
|}

== Women's honours ==
{{main|Germany women's national football team}}

=== Major competitions ===
'''[[FIFA Women's World Cup]]'''
* '''Champions (2)''': [[FIFA Women's World Cup 2003|2003]], [[2007 FIFA Women's World Cup|2007]]
* Runners-up (1): [[FIFA Women's World Cup 1995|1995]]
* Fourth place (2): [[FIFA Women's World Cup 1991|1991]], [[2015 FIFA Women's World Cup|2015]]

'''[[UEFA Women's Championship]]'''
* '''Champions (8)''': [[1989 UEFA Women's Championship|1989]], [[1991 UEFA Women's Championship|1991]], [[1995 UEFA Women's Championship|1995]], [[1997 UEFA Women's Championship|1997]], [[2001 UEFA Women's Championship|2001]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 2005|2005]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 2009|2009]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 2013|2013]]
* Runners-up (1): [[UEFA Women's Euro 2022|2022]]
* Fourth place (1): [[1993 UEFA Women's Championship|1993]]

'''[[Football at the Summer Olympics|Summer Olympic Games]]'''
* '''Gold Medal (1)''': [[Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2016]]
* Bronze Medal (4): [[Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2000]], [[Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2004]], [[Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2008]], [[Football at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2024]]

'''[[UEFA Women's Nations League]]'''
* Third place (1): [[2024 UEFA Women's Nations League Finals|2024]]

{| class="wikitable" style="width:30%; font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|-
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}" colspan="5" | Overview
|-
! Event
!style="width:14%; background:gold;" | 1st place
!style="width:14%; background:silver;" | 2nd place
!style="width:14%; background:#c96;" | 3rd place
!style="width:14%; background:#9acdff;" | 4th place
|-
|align=left|{{nowrap|[[FIFA Women's World Cup]]}}
! 2
! 1
! 0
! 2
|-
|align=left|{{nowrap|[[UEFA Women's Championship]]}}
! 8
! 1
! 0
! 1
|-
|align=left|{{nowrap|[[Football at the Summer Olympics|Summer Olympic Games]]}}
! 1
! 0
! 4
! 0
|-
|align=left|{{nowrap|[[UEFA Women's Nations League]]}}
! 0
! 0
! 1
! 0
|-
|-style="background:silver"
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}" | Total
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}; width:14%" | 11
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}; width:14%" | 2
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}; width:14%" | 5
!style="color:black; background:#FFFFFF; {{box-shadow border|a|black|2px}}; width:14%" | 3
|}

==FIFA World Cup==
The [[Germany national football team]] has won four [[FIFA World Cup]]s and have been the runners up on four other occasions. The four World Cup championships are commemorated by the four stars above the Germany national team logo on the team's jerseys. Germany hosted the World Cups in 1974 and in 2006.

The [[Germany women's national football team|women's national team]] has won two FIFA Women's World Cups, commemorated by two stars above the crest on their jerseys. Germany hosted the 2011 Women's World Cup.

===FIFA World Cup 1954===
The [[Wankdorf Stadion]] in [[Bern]] saw 60,000 people cram inside to watch the Final between West Germany and [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]], a rematch of a first-round game, which Hungary had won 8–3. In response to his team's earlier thrashing at the hands of the Hungarians, legendary West German coach [[Sepp Herberger]] made key tactical adjustments in his team's lineup prior to the Final. Shortly before the match, it had started raining - in Germany this was dubbed "Fritz-Walter-Wetter" (Fritz Walter Weather) because the German team captain [[Fritz Walter]] was said to play his best in rainy weather.

The Final saw the legendary [[Ferenc Puskás]] playing even though he was not fully fit. Despite this he put his team ahead after only 6 minutes and, with [[Zoltán Czibor]] adding another two minutes later, it seemed destined that the pre-tournament favourites would take the title.

However, with a goal from [[Max Morlock]] on the tenth minute and [[Helmut Rahn]] on the nineteenth before halftime, the tide began to turn in the Germans' favor. The second half saw misses from the Hungarian team as well as a disallowed goal from Puskás with 2 minutes left.

Rahn then scored again to make the score 3–2. As he was scoring the goal, the popular German reporter [[Herbert Zimmermann (football commentator)|Herbert Zimmermann]] gave the most famous German piece of commentary of all time - "Rahn schiesst - TOR!" ("Rahn shoots - GOAL!") - while the Hungarian reporter burst into tears. The game would become known as the "Das Wunder von Bern" (the "Miracle of Bern") in German lore and would be the basis for a successful movie released in 2003.

===FIFA World Cup 1974===
The [[FIFA World Cup 1974]] competition was held in West Germany.

Led by legendary libero Franz Beckenbauer, keeper [[Sepp Maier]], playmaker [[Paul Breitner]], and strikers [[Uli Hoeneß]] and "Der Bomber" [[Gerd Müller]] (Germany's all-time leading scorer with 68 goals in 62 games), Germany won its second World Cup by defeating [[Netherlands national football team|the Netherlands]] in the final, 2–1, behind goals by Breitner and Müller. The Final was famous for the battle between Kaiser Franz (Beckenbauer) and King Johann (Cruyff).

The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the [[Football World Cup Trophy#FIFA World Cup Trophy|FIFA World Cup]], was awarded. The previous trophy, the [[Football World Cup Trophy#Jules Rimet Trophy|Jules Rimet Trophy]], was won for the third time by [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] in 1970 and awarded permanently to the Brazilians.

===FIFA World Cup 1990===
In a tournament which included a memorable clash with rival the Netherlands, Germany defeated [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]], 1–0, on an Andreas Brehme penalty kick, to win its third World Cup title. With its third title (and three second-place finishes), West Germany became the most successful World Cup nation for four years, until Brazil won their fourth championship in 1994. West German team manager [[Franz Beckenbauer]] became the second footballer, after Mario Zagallo of Brazil, to become World Champion as a player (in 1974) and as team manager. In doing so, Beckenbauer also became the first captain of a winning team to later manage a winning squad.

===FIFA Women's World Cup 2003===
The [[2003 FIFA Women's World Cup]] was held in the United States (changed from China due to the [[SARS]] epidemic) and won by Germany, who defeated [[Sweden women's national football team|Sweden]] by 2–1 in extra time. Earlier in the semifinals they had disposed of the defending champions and hosts, the [[United States women's national soccer team|United States]], 3–0.

===FIFA World Cup 2006===
[[Image:Wm-oly-de-cr.jpg|thumb|Football fans at the [[Olympiapark, Munich|Olympic Park]] in Munich during a 2006 World Cup match]]

Germany hosted the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]]. Thirty-two nations competed in the tournament, with matches played in a dozen cities ranging from [[Hamburg]] in the north to [[Munich]] in the south; [[Leipzig]] was the only former East city to hold matches (the matches at Berlin were held at former West Berliner territory). The opening match ([[Germany national football team|Germany]] vs [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]]) was held on 9 June in the [[Allianz Arena]] in [[Munich]], with Germany defeating Costa Rica 4–2. The final match took place in [[Olympic Stadium, Berlin|Olympiastadion Berlin]] one month later between [[Italy national football team|Italy]] and [[France national football team|France]]. The match was drawn 1–1 at full-time and after extra time. [[Zinedine Zidane]] was controversially sent off for headbutting Italy's [[Marco Materazzi]] with 10 minutes to go before the match went into penalties. France lost to Italy in the shootout 5–3.

Germany defeated [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]] 3–1 in the third place play off at the [[Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion]] in [[Stuttgart]] on 8 July. Miroslav Klose won the [[World Cup Golden Boot|Golden Boot]] for the highest goalscorer of the tournament with 5 goals. [[Lukas Podolski]] received the [[FIFA World Cup awards#FIFA Young Player Award|Best Young Player Award]].

===FIFA Women's World Cup 2007===
The [[2007 FIFA Women's World Cup]] was held in [[People's Republic of China|China]] and won by Germany, who became the first women's team to successfully defend the title. In the opening match in [[Shanghai]], Germany beat [[Argentina women's national football team|Argentina]] by a record 11–0. [[Nadine Angerer]], the key goalkeeper, went unbeaten the entire tournament. In the final at Shanghai, Germany beat [[Brazil women's national football team|Brazil]], 2–0.

[[Birgit Prinz]] became the all-time top World Cup goalscorer with 14 goals total.

===FIFA World Cup 2010===
Germany finished third for the second consecutive time, behind [[Spain national football team|Spain]] and [[Netherlands national football team|the Netherlands]]. Germany was the team that scored the most goals in the [[FIFA World Cup 2010]], with three 4-goal hauls. They lost to only two teams, [[Serbia national football team|Serbia]] and Spain. [[Thomas Müller]] won the Golden Shoe and Best Young Player award.

===FIFA Women's World Cup 2011===
The [[2011 FIFA Women's World Cup]] was held in Germany. The competition kicked off with two matches on 26 June—the first in [[Rhein-Neckar-Arena|Sinsheim]] pitting [[France women's national football team|France]] and [[Nigeria women's national football team|Nigeria]], followed by the official opening match in [[Olympic Stadium (Berlin)|Berlin]] featuring Germany and [[Canada women's national soccer team|Canada]]. Germany went on to win [[2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Group A|Group A]] without dropping a point, but lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion [[Japan women's national football team|Japan]].

===FIFA World Cup 2014===
Germany emerged champions of the 2014 World Cup competition, defeating [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] 1–0 thanks to a memorable goal by 22-year-old [[Mario Götze]]. In the run-up to the finals, Germany routed Brazil 7–1 in their [[Brazil v Germany (2014 FIFA World Cup)|semi-final match]], breaking several World Cup records. [[Miroslav Klose]] also scored his 16th World Cup goal in this match to become the highest scoring player in World Cup history.

===FIFA Women's World Cup 2015===
The [[2015 FIFA Women's World Cup]] was held in Canada. Germany won [[2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Group B|Group B]] on goal difference over [[Norway women's national football team|Norway]]. In the knockout rounds, they defeated [[Sweden women's national football team|Sweden]] in the round of 16 and [[France women's national football team|France]] in the quarterfinals. They would ultimately be eliminated for the second straight World Cup by the eventual champion, dropping their semifinal to the United States. In the third-place game, Germany lost to [[England women's national football team|England]] 1–0 on an extra-time penalty.

Germany's [[Célia Šašić]] won the tournament's Golden Boot. Šašić and the USA's [[Carli Lloyd]] had 6&nbsp;goals and were level on the first tiebreaker of assists, with 1&nbsp;each; Šašić won on the second tiebreaker of fewer minutes played.

==UEFA European Championship==
Germany have won three European Championship ([[1972 UEFA European Football Championship|1972]], [[1980 UEFA European Football Championship|1980]] and [[UEFA Euro 96|1996]]). The German team also placed second in the 1976, 1992 and 2008 championships.

===Euro 1972===
In Euro 1972, a young West German team that would go on to win the World Cup two years later captured the first of its three European Cup titles. In the two-leg quarter-finals, Germany first crushed England, 3–1, in Wembley Stadium on 29 April 1972, then closed the door by earning a 0–0 draw in Berlin. The Germans then advanced to the finals in Belgium, where they defeated the host nation, 2–1, in the semifinal and the Soviet Union, 3–0, in the final to capture their first major championship since the Miracle of Bern.

"This is the best team we ever had," stated former coach [[Helmut Schön]] in the hour of his triumph. In admiration of the German effort, the French ''[[L’Équipe]]'' wrote: "Brussels witnessed the rehabilitation of attacking football." ''[[The Times]]'' noted: "Germany has the most talented football team on the continent."

===Euro 1980===
Only 8 years passed before the Germans secured their next title. After defeating [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]], Netherlands, and Greece in the opening round, Germany got past Belgium, 2–1, in the final through two goals by [[Horst Hrubesch]]. This tournament would be the first of many for midfielder [[Lothar Matthäus]], who would retire after Euro 2000 as Germany's most capped (experienced) player with 150 national team appearances.

===Euro 1996===
In 1996, Germany won perhaps its most memorable European Championship and its first major championship since reunification. Led by captain Jürgen Klinsmann on offense and Matthias Sammer on defense, the Germans easily defeated the Czech Republic, 2–0, and Russia, 3–0, in the first round. A hard-fought 0–0 draw against Italy completed the first round and saw Germany through to the quarterfinals, where it defeated Croatia 2–1.

This victory set the stage for a classic battle against England, again in Wembley Stadium, in the tournament semifinals. After England jumped in front with a goal in the third minute, the Germans - playing without injured captain Klinsmann - fought back and equalized behind a Stefan Kuntz goal in the 16. minute. Both teams fought through the remainder of regulation and two sudden-death 15-minute overtime periods without scoring, leading to a dramatic penalty kick shootout. In the shootout, German keeper [[Andreas Köpke]] held England's sixth attempt, allowing Andreas Möller to stun the Wembley faithful and send Germany through to the final.

In the final, Germany fell behind the same Czech squad it had defeated earlier in the tournament on a controversial penalty kick decision. Nonetheless, the Germans displayed their usual fighting spirit and tied the game on substitute [[Oliver Bierhoff]]'s 73. minute header. Regulation ended in a 1–1 tie. Five minutes into the first sudden-death overtime, it was again Oliver Bierhoff who led the Germans to victory with his historic golden goal. Largely because of his outstanding defensive efforts in the tournament, Matthias Sammer was voted "Europe's Player of the Year" after the finals.

===Euro 2024===
In 2024, Germany hosted the [[UEFA Euro 2024]]. It took place in 10 cities, [[Berlin]], [[Cologne]], [[Dortmund]], [[Düsseldorf]], [[Frankfurt]], [[Gelsenkirchen]], [[Hamburg]], [[Leipzig]], [[Munich]] and [[Stuttgart]]. The opening match took place at the [[Allianz Arena]] in Munich and the final took place at the [[Olympiastadion (Berlin)|Olympiastadion]] in Berlin.

==Football competitions==

===Bundesliga===
{{main|Bundesliga}}
The country's premier football competition is the 18-team [[Bundesliga]]. [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]] has won a record of 31 Bundesliga championships since the formation of the league in 1963. [[Hamburger SV]] was the only team to have played in every Bundesliga season until the 2017–18 season when they were relegated for the first time in club history. The second-tier league is known as the [[2. Bundesliga]]. A [[3. Liga]], run directly by the DFB instead of the DFB-affiliated German Football League (DFL, from the ''Deutsche Fußball Liga'') which operates the two ''Bundesligen'', was introduced in 2008.

===German Cup===
The [[DFB-Pokal|German Cup]] (German: "DFB-Pokal", '''D'''eutscher '''F'''ußball '''B'''und-Pokal) is a national football tournament held annually since 1952. It is the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga championship.

Each football club which participates in the German football league system is entitled to enter the tournament. The clubs of the lower leagues play in regional qualification rounds, with the winners joining the teams of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga in the main round of the tournament in the following year. Each elimination is determined by a single game held on the ground of one of the two participating teams. Since 1985 the final has been held each year at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Bayern Munich has won the cup a record 20 times.

The Tschammer-Pokal was the predecessor to today's cup competition. It was introduced in 1934–35 and contested until 1944.

Divided after [[World War II]], Germany had two cup competitions with [[East German]] sides competing for the [[FDGB Cup|East German Cup]] (German: "FDGB-Pokal", '''F'''reier '''D'''eutscher '''G'''ewerkschafts'''b'''und-Pokal or Free German Trade Union Federation Cup). Introduced in 1949, the cup was contested annually until 1991 when the tournament was ended in the wake of [[German re-unification]] and the merger of the football leagues of the two Germanys.

===Participation in European competition===
Under current co-efficient rankings, Germany is guaranteed at least four [[UEFA Champions League]] spots, two [[UEFA Europa League]] spots and one [[UEFA Europa Conference League]] spot. Clubs finishing first, second, third and fourth in the Bundesliga are put into the group stage of the Champions League. The fifth-place finisher enters the group stage of the Europa League, while the team in sixth enters the play-off round of the Europa Conference League. The winners of the DFB-Pokal also enter the group stage of the Europa League. However, if the winner of the Cup has already been granted a place in the Champions League through league standings, then the team placed seventh in the Bundesliga is granted a place in the play-off round of the Europa Conference League.

== European competitions for clubs ==
{{Main|German football clubs in European competitions|FC Bayern Munich in international football|Borussia Dortmund in European football}}

* 8 UEFA European Cups/Champions Leagues won in 18 finals (fourth)
* 5 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups won in 11 finals (fourth/West German and East German teams)
* 7 UEFA Cups/Europa Leagues won in 15 finals (fourth)
* no UEFA Europa Conference League won 
* 2 UEFA Super Cups won in 10 finals (tied for second behind Spain)
* 5 Intercontinental/Club World Cups won in 7 finals (tied for sixth with England)

In total:
* Germany, 27 cups and 61 finals ([[List of UEFA club competition winners#By country|fourth]])

==Foreign players in Germany==
{{main article|Foreign football players in Germany}}
There are many foreign football players in the German professional football leagues. In November 2009, there were 249 foreign players in the [[Bundesliga|1. Bundesliga]], or 45% of all players. In the [[2. Bundesliga]], there are 145 foreign players, with a ratio of 31%.<ref name=bundesliga>[http://www.bundesliga.de/de/dfl/fragen/index.php 1. Fragen zum Thema Spielbetrieb] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210194049/http://www.bundesliga.de/de/dfl/fragen/index.php |date=10 February 2010 }} DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, 2010</ref> In the [[3. Liga]], the foreigner percentage is 15%.<ref name=kicker>Kicker Sonderheft Saison 2009/10</ref>

== Football on TV ==

=== Record viewership ===

==== FIFA Men's World Cup on TV ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Viewers
(millions)
!Teams
!Stage
!Channel
|-
|2014
|34.65m
|Germany v. Argentina
|Final
|ARD
|}

==== FIFA Women's World Cup on TV ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Viewers
(millions)
!Teams
!Stage
!Channel
|-
|2011
|17.01m
|Germany v. Japan
|Final
|ARD
|}

== German football stadiums ==

Stadiums with a capacity of 60,000 or higher are included.
{{row counter|{| class{{=}}"wikitable sortable"
!#!!Image!!Stadium!!Capacity!!City!!State!!Home team(s)!!Opened!!Notes
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count||[[File:Signal Iduna Park before the match (4th july 2006).jpg|150px]]||'''[[Westfalenstadion]]'''||81,365<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.kicker.de/dortmunds-stadionkapazitaet-erhoeht-sich-630989/artikel |title=kicker.de – Dortmunds Stadionkapazität erhöht sich |access-date=27 February 2023 |archive-date=8 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908174429/http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/startseite/630989/artikel_dortmunds-stadionkapazitaet-erhoeht-sich.html |url-status=live }}</ref>||[[Dortmund]]||{{flag|North Rhine-Westphalia}}||[[Borussia Dortmund]]||1974||[[UEFA stadium categories|UEFA Category 4 stadium]]
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count||[[File:München - Allianz-Arena (Luftbild).jpg|150px]]||'''[[Allianz Arena]]'''||75,000<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://allianz-arena.com/en/arena/facts/general-information |title=allianz-arena.com – General information about the Allianz Arena |access-date=27 February 2023 |archive-date=13 March 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180313085849/https://allianz-arena.com/en/arena/facts/general-information |url-status=live }}</ref>||[[Munich]]||{{flag|Bavaria}}||[[FC Bayern Munich]]||2005||UEFA Category 4 stadium
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count||[[File:Olympiastadionberlin2005.JPG|150px]]||'''[[Olympiastadion (Berlin)|Olympiastadion Berlin]]'''||74,475<ref>[http://olympiastadion.berlin/en/stadion-2/ Facts and Figures OlympiaStadion Berlin] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312064505/http://olympiastadion.berlin/en/stadion-2/ |date=2017-03-12 }}</ref>||[[Berlin]]||{{flag|Berlin}}||[[Hertha BSC]]||1936||UEFA Category 4 stadium
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count||[[File:Olympiastadion Muenchen.jpg|150px]]||[[Olympiastadion (Munich)|Olympiastadion Munich]]||69,250<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.olympiapark.de/en/olympic-park/event-locations/olympic-stadium/ |title=olympiapark.de – Olympic Stadium Key Facts |access-date=27 February 2023 |archive-date=15 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415115458/https://www.olympiapark.de/en/olympic-park/event-locations/olympic-stadium/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>||[[Munich]]||{{flag|Bavaria}}||''Various''||1972||
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count||[[File:2010-06-03 Arena AufSchalke 01.jpg|150px]]||'''[[Arena AufSchalke|Veltins-Arena]]'''||62,271||[[Gelsenkirchen]]||{{flag|North Rhine-Westphalia}}||[[FC Schalke 04]]||2001||UEFA Category 4 stadium
|-
| style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_count||[[File:Blick vom Rotenberg Stadion.jpg|150px]]||'''[[MHPArena]]'''||60,469||[[Stuttgart]]||{{flag|Baden-Württemberg}}||[[VfB Stuttgart]]||1933||UEFA Category 4 stadium
|} }}

==See also==
* [[Women's football in Germany]]
* [[East Germany national football team]] <!-- there was no separate ''West Germany national football team'' -->
* [[Futsal in Germany]]
* [[Football in Berlin]]
* [[Football in Munich]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.dfb.de German Football Association] {{in lang|de}}
* [https://www.fussball.de/ Fussball.de] {{in lang|de}}

{{Football in Germany}}
{{Women's football in Germany}}
{{Football in Europe}}
{{Sport in Germany}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Football In Germany}}
[[Category:Football in Germany| ]]