Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a
German football club in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
,
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
, which competes in the
2. Bundesliga.
Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league in 1913 and was a fixture in the top flight from the early 1920s up to the creation of the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
in 1963. 2022–23 will be their third season in a row in the 2. Bundesliga since getting relegated from the Bundesliga in the 2019–20 season. Fortuna captured one German championship in 1933 and two German cup
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
wins in 1979 and 1980. Their greatest feat in European competition was a
Cup Winners Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
final in 1979 where they lost to
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
.
History
Foundation to World War II
The earliest roots of the association go back to the establishment of the gymnastics club Turnverein Flingern on 5 May 1895 in the village of
Flingern
Flingern is a quarter of Düsseldorf, part of Borough 2 (Düsseldorf), Borough 2. Located northeast of Düsseldorf (proper), it is divided into two ''Stadtteile'' today: Flingern-Nord and Flingern-Süd.
While Flingern-Nord has a younger populati ...
, today one of the eastern quarters of Düsseldorf. Two other sides figure in the club's early history: Düsseldorfer Fußballklub Spielverein, founded in 1908, and FK Alemania 1911, which was founded in 1911 and became Fortuna 1911 the following year. In mid-1913, these two clubs merged to form Düsseldorfer Fußball-Club Fortuna 1911 which played its debut season in the Westdeutschen Spielverband in 1913–14. TV Flingern joined Fortuna to create Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna on 15 November 1919.
[Grüne, Hardy (2001). Vereinslexikon. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ]
In the late 1920s, Fortuna won its first honours as a first tier side; it captured a district level Bezirksliga title in 1927, sent its first representative to the
Germany national team in 1928 (
Ernst Albrecht), and took a second Bezirksliga title in 1929. The team continued to perform well into the 1930s, winning its third and fourth district titles en route to a
Western German football championship
The Western German football championship (German: ''Westdeutsche Fußball Meisterschaft'') was the highest association football competition in Western Germany, in the Prussian Province of Westphalia, the Rhine Province, the northern parts of the p ...
in 1931 and its greatest success, a
German football championship
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
in 1933 against
Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
, which was on the verge of becoming the era's dominant side in Germany. Fortuna was the first team to win the title without conceding a goal in the final rounds of the tournament. It beat
Vorwärts-Rasensport Gleiwitz
Vorwärts-Rasensport Gleiwitz was a German association football club from the city of Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, today Gliwice, Poland.
__TOC__
History
The team had its origins within the gymnastics club ''Turnverein Vorwärts Gleiwitz'' estab ...
(9–0),
Arminia Hannover
SV Arminia Hannover is a German association football club based in Hanover, Lower Saxony.
History
The club was founded in 1910 as ''FC Arminia Hannover'' and merged with ''Rugby-Verein Merkur'' in 1918, becoming ''SV Arminia-Merkur''. Two y ...
(3–0),
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
(4–0) and finally Schalke 04 (3–0) en route to becoming the first national champion from the industrial
Rhine-Ruhr
The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region (german: Metropolregion Rhein-Ruhr) is the largest metropolitan region in Germany, with over ten million inhabitants. A polycentric conurbation with several major urban concentrations, the region covers ...
area.
In the following season, the club began playing in
Gauliga Niederrhein
The Gauliga Niederrhein was the highest football league in the northern part of the Prussian Rhine Province from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the '' Gaue' ...
, 1 of 16 top-flight divisions formed in the re-organization of German football under the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. Düsseldorf dominated the division through the 1930s as five-time champions between 1936 and 1940, and made losing appearances in the national championship final in 1936 (1–2 to
1. FC Nürnberg) and the final of the Tschammerpokal, the predecessor of today's
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
, in 1937 (1–2 against Schalke 04). The club was
relegated
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
in 1942 but made a prompt return to the top flight the following season. In 1944–45, it began play as the combined wartime side Kriegsspielgemeinschaft TSV Fortuna/SC 99 Düsseldorf with partner Düsseldorfer Sport Club 1899, but took part in only two matches as
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
fell before the advance of Allied armies.
The most notable players of that era were
Paul Janes
Paul Janes (11 March 1912 – 12 June 1987) was a German football player. He earned 71 caps and scored seven goals for the Germany national team from 1932 to 1942, and played in two World Cups: 1934 and 1938. Janes was a member of the Breslau ...
, Germany's most capped player from 1942 to 1970 (71 caps), German team captain (1939–1942) and member of the Breslau Eleven that beat
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
8–0 in
Breslau in 1937 and went on to win 10 of 11 games played during that year;
Stanislaus Kobierski, who earned 26 caps and scored Germany's first ever
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
goal;
Ernst Albrecht; and
Jakob Bender
Jakob Bender (23 March 1910 – 8 February 1981) was a German footballer who played as a midfielder. In the 1930s, he was a squad member of Fortuna Düsseldorf, who in 1933 became German League champions.
Between 1933 and 1935, Bender played f ...
.
Post War era
![Fortuna Düsseldorf Performance Chart](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Fortuna_D%C3%BCsseldorf_Performance_Chart.png)
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Allied occupation authorities ordered the dissolution of all sports organizations in Germany. Fortuna was re-formed in 1945 and then played most of their football in the
Oberliga West Oberliga ( en, Premier league) may refer to:
Association football
* Oberliga (football), currently the fifth tier of the German football league system, formerly the first
* DDR-Oberliga, the first tier of football in East Germany until 1990, re ...
(I) in the years between 1947 and the creation of the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
's professional football league, in 1963. It played as a lower-to-mid-table side but did earn three appearances in the DFB-Pokal final in – 1957, 1958 and 1962 – but was not able to take the prize, losing each of those matches to
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
,
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...
and 1. FC Nürnberg. It was also during this era that
Toni Turek
Anton Turek (18 January 1919 – 11 May 1984) was a German footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Career
Born in Duisburg, Turek started his career at Duisburger Sportverein, but he soon switched to TuS Duisburg 48/99. He first came to the at ...
, goalkeeper for West Germany's "Miracle of Bern" side at the
1954 World Cup;
Erich Juskowiak
Erich Juskowiak (7 September 1926 – 1 July 1983) was a footballer who played as a left-back. He earned 31 caps and 4 goals for the West Germany national team between 1951 and 1959. He played in the World Cup Finals in 1958 where West Germany r ...
(30 caps and World Cup player in
1958); and later national team coach
Jupp Derwall
Josef "Jupp" Derwall (10 March 1927 – 26 June 2007) was a German professional football manager and player. He was head coach of the West Germany national team between 1978 and 1984, winning the UEFA Euro 1980 and reaching the final of the 198 ...
all represented Fortuna.
1960s and 1970s
Fortuna's performance was not good enough to earn them a place among the original 16 teams chosen for the newly founded Bundesliga in 1963, but the club did manage to play its way into the premier division three years later for a cameo appearance in
1966–67. Despite a sensational 2–1 away win at recently crowned
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
winners
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...
in its Bundesliga debut, Fortuna was immediately relegated, though only to return in 1971 for a stay that lasted 16 seasons and included two third-place league finishes (in
1972–73 and
1973–74). On 9 December 1978, Fortuna recorded a 7–1 victory against Bayern Munich, to date the highest away defeat for Bayern in its entire Bundesliga history. In addition, Fortuna continued its prosperous play in the DFB-Pokal, making another three appearances. After losing in its fifth appearance in the final in
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
against local rivals
1. FC Köln (0–2), the club finally broke through and came away as champions in
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, prevailing 1–0 against
Hertha BSC
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charl ...
, then repeating as champions
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
with 2–1 victory against 1. FC Köln. During this period, the club established a record for consecutive DFB-Pokal match victories, with 18-straight between 1978 and 1981.
Fortuna is among a group of four teams which have made frequent appearances in the DFB-Pokal final only to come away empty-handed. Like
1. FC Kaiserslautern, Fortuna has just two wins against five losses. 1. FC Köln has four wins and six losses in the Cup final, while Schalke 04 has been frustrated most often, with five wins and seven losses. Four of the Düsseldorfer's losses were by a single goal and two of those were in extra time.
The club's best turn in European competition was in the
1979 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
The 1979 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was a football match contested between Barcelona of Spain and Fortuna Düsseldorf of West Germany. It was held at St. Jakob Stadium in Basel on 16 May 1979. The venue was decided in Bern by the UEFA Exec ...
, where it finished as runners-up to
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, losing 4–3 in extra time in an exciting finale at
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
. It was the first of four occasions that the Catalan club won the tournament.
Fortuna achieved its success mostly with hometown players like the famous Allofs brothers (
Klaus Allofs
Klaus Allofs (born 5 December 1956) is a German former professional Association football, football player, manager, and executive.
A Forward (association football)#Striker, striker, Allofs was a prolific goalscorer for club and country. He ama ...
and
Thomas Allofs
Thomas Allofs (born 17 November 1959) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker.
The younger brother of another footballer, Klaus Allofs, he was a prolific goalscorer, scoring nearly 200 overall goals as a professional ...
) or players like
Gerd Zewe (440 games in the Bundesliga),
Dieter Herzog,
Reiner Geye
Reiner Geye (born 22 November 1949 in Duisburg; died 8 August 2002 in Mainz) was a German football player.
His career started with TuS Duisburg 48/99 and Eintracht Duisburg. From 1968 he played for Fortuna Düsseldorf. Between 1971 and 1986 h ...
,
Wolfgang Seel and
Rudi Bommer who joined the team as nearly unknown players and ended as internationals. Between 1960 and 1967,
Peter Meyer scored 119 goals in 174 games.
1980s to the new century
![LTU arena - Warsteiner](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/LTU_arena_-_Warsteiner.jpg)
Since its relegation in 1987, Fortuna has bounced back and forth between leagues, spending five more seasons in the Bundesliga in 1989–92 and 1995–97 and slipping as low as
Oberliga Nordrhein
The Oberliga Nordrhein was the highest Football League in the region of Nordrhein which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 2008. In its last season, it was one of nine Oberligas in German football, the 4th tier of the Ge ...
(IV) in 2002–04. In 2001, the club escaped relegation to tier IV only because two other clubs were denied licenses to play in tier III for financial reasons. Fortuna had its own money problems at the time but have since managed to arrange its finances more or less back into order. Between 2001 and 2003, the club was sponsored by German punk rock band
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers", figuratively "The Deadbeats") is a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf.
History
The current members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephe ...
.
Recent seasons
In
2008–09, Fortuna competed in the newly established
3. Liga, finishing second and gaining automatic promotion to the
2. Bundesliga, where it finished fourth in its comeback season,
2009–10. In this season, Fortuna was the only side unbeaten in home-matches in the three top German (nationwide) leagues.
After a promising 2009–10 season, the
2010–11 season began poorly for Fortuna. After the first six games of the season, the club was in last place, having lost every match. During these first six matches, the club managed to score only two goals – one of which was an own-goal by the other side. Despite this discouraging start, Fortuna bounced back and finished the season in seventh place.
2011–12 began very differently: after the first half of the season, Fortuna was in first place in the table with a remarkable record of 12 wins, 5 draws and 0 losses. The "Herbstmeister" title gave the team and the fans hope that this could be the year Fortuna returned to the Bundesliga. The second half of the season was more challenging, as Fortuna was unable to maintain its pace: it suffered four losses and a number of draws, slipping to third place in the final standings. Nonetheless, this was sufficient for them to qualify for the two-game relegation playoff against the third-last place team in the Bundesliga – Hertha BSC. The first game of the relegation was played on 10 May 2012 in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, with Fortuna winning 2–1. Fortuna drew the deciding game which was played on 15 May in Düsseldorf. Hertha fans, however, threw firecrackers at the field and the players, and one minute before the match ended, overexcited Fortuna fans stormed the field.
The promotion to the Bundesliga represented an extraordinary personal achievement for team captain
Andreas Lambertz, as he became the first player in German football history to be promoted three times with the same club, from the then fourth-tier Oberliga to the Bundesliga. For striker
Sascha Rösler
Sascha Rösler (born 28 October 1977) is a German retired footballer who played as a midfielder.
Career Youth
Born in Tettnang, Rösler first played football in 1982 for TSV Meckenbeuren. Via VfB Friedrichshafen, for which he played from 1990, h ...
, it marked the fourth time in his career that he was promoted from the Second Division into the Bundesliga.
Coming with the recent promotion, the club achieved a new record in German football history, becoming the only German club that has been relegated from the Bundesliga down to a fourth-tier league (time period of downfall: 1997–2002) and promoted back to the Bundesliga afterwards (time period of uprising: 2004–2012).
Fortuna started the
2012–13 Bundesliga
The 2012–13 Bundesliga was the 50th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season began on 24 August 2012 with the season opening match at Westfalenstadion involving defending champions Borussia Dortmund and SV Werd ...
season strongly: after five games, it was in fifth place in the table and concerns about relegation seemed to have been put to rest. However, Fortuna's 1–0 home win over
SpVgg Greuther Fürth
Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth (), commonly known as Greuther Fürth (), is a German football club based in Fürth, Bavaria. They play in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of the German football league system, following relegation from the B ...
on 16 February would prove to be the club's final victory of the season. The season concluded with Fortuna playing in
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...
, a match Fortuna lost 0–3. This defeat, combined with an
FC Augsburg
Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg () or Augsburg, is a German football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded as ...
win over Greuther Fürth and a bizarre and unlikely victory by
1899 Hoffenheim over second-place Borussia Dortmund, resulted in Fortuna dropping two places. ''Fortuna'' finished 17th and were again relegated back to the 2. Bundesliga.
Fortuna's relegation was the result not only of this unlikely series of occurrences on the final day of the season, but also a poor conclusion to the year. Of its final eight matches, it did not win a single one; just one win would have secured its position for the following season's Bundesliga. This poor performance contributed to the dismissal of head coach
Norbert Meier
Norbert Meier (born 20 September 1958) is a German former football player, who played as a midfielder, and manager who last managed KFC Uerdingen.
Playing career
Meier's career as a player was spent mostly at SV Werder Bremen where he played fir ...
.
Relegation to the 2. Bundesliga led to a period of generally disappointing performance. Fortuna spent the years between 2013 and 2017 in the middle of the table, often battling against relegation and rarely challenging for promotion back to the Bundesliga. During these years, the club went through a series of coaching changes, with Oliver Reck, Frank Kramer, and former player Mike Buskens among others leading the club at various points. Success however remained elusive.
In March 2016, Friedhelm Funkel – a native of Neuss – took over as coach of Fortuna Düsseldorf. In his first game as coach, Funkel led the club to a 4–3 win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, ending a month-long winless streak. Funkel's start as coach marked the beginning of a period of increased stability and success for Fortuna.
At the start of the 2017–18 season, two of Fortuna's strongest performers from the previous year, goalkeeper Michael Rensing and forward Ihlas Bebou, were both lost from the club with Rensing suffering two broken ribs and Bebou transferring to Bundesliga side Hannover 96. A further setback was that Funkel's assistant Peter Hermann asked to be released from his contract with Fortuna in order to rejoin his mentor Jupp Heynckes upon his return to FC Bayern. With these three losses, it appeared that the 2017–18 season could be difficult for Fortuna. However, the club started extremely strongly: on the fourth day of the season, Fortuna had climbed to first place in the table, with a draw and three wins. For the remainder of the year, they would not drop below third place, benefiting from particularly strong play by Rensing's replacement in goal, Raphael Wolf, newly-acquired Belgian forward Benito Raman, striker Rouwen Hennings, and midfielder Florian Neuhaus. A late-season slump saw Fortuna lose three games in succession in early April, but Fortuna won their next two matches, securing promotion to the Bundesliga. In the final game of the season, with promotion already secured, Fortuna defeated 1. FC Nürnberg 3:2 on a last-minute goal thereby securing first place and the 2. Division Championship. For coach Friedhelm Funkel, this marks the sixth time he had led a club to promotion—a German record.
Fortuna Düsseldorf's return to first-division football in 2018–19 was greeted with great enthusiasm by their supporters. The first half of the season was marked by strong but inconsistent play.
Fortuna played remarkably well against top Bundesliga sides, taking a point from Leipzig and defeating Hoffenheim and first-place Borussia Dortmund. Most encouraging was an away draw against the defending champions Bayern Munich, when Fortuna came back after trailing 2–0 and 3–1, to secure a 3–3 draw in the 93rd minute, with
Dodi Lukebakio scored all three of Fortuna's goals. However, Fortuna failed to play with the same consistency and decisiveness against clubs lower in the table, against whom they will battle to avoid relegation, losing to Augsburg, Nürnberg and Mainz, and only managing a draw against Stuttgart.
Fortuna Düsseldorf entered the mid-winter break in 14th place in the table, concluding the first half of the season with three successive wins against Freiburg, Dortmund and Hannover. Fortuna Düsseldorf enjoyed a more consistent second half of the season, with away wins over Augsburg, Hertha Berlin and one of their best performances in recent times, a storming display in a 0–4 win at Schalke 04. A 4–1 win at home to Werder Bremen and a 3–1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach were highlights at home, whilst other home wins over VfB Stuttgart, Nürnberg and a final day defeat of Hannover 96 ensured a 10th place finish in the Bundesliga. This achieved Fortuna Düsseldorf's highest league finish since the 1989–90 Bundesliga season, where they finished 9th.
Sponsorship
For the 2017–18 season, online sports betting website
Tipbet
Tipbet is a Malta-based gambling company. Its headquarters are in Gzira and the company has grown significantly since its inception in 1995. With a business heavily focused on the online market, there are also fully branded physical betting shops ...
renewed its agreement as Premium Partners of Fortuna. The deal involves marketing campaigns to raise brand awareness, while regular promotions are organised.
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Honours
The club's honours are as follows:
;Domestic
*
German championship (1):
1932–33
** Runners-up:
1935–36
*
2. Bundesliga (II) (2):
1988–89,
2017–18
;Cup
*
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
(2):
1978–79,
1979–80
** Runners-up:
1936–37,
1956–57,
1957–58,
1961–62,
1977–78
;International
*
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
** Runners-up:
1978–79
*
Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the German-speaking world as UI Cup and originally called the International Foot ...
(3):
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
,
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
,
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
* Trophy Ciudad de Palma (1): 1989
;Regional
*
Western German championship (I) (1): 1930-31
*
Western German Cup (I-II) (4+1) : 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1970–71 (II)
*
Gauliga Niederrhein/Berg-Mark (I) (10): 1926–27, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1946–47
*
Regionalliga West
The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
(II) (1):
1965–66
*
Oberliga Nordrhein
The Oberliga Nordrhein was the highest Football League in the region of Nordrhein which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 2008. In its last season, it was one of nine Oberligas in German football, the 4th tier of the Ge ...
(III) (1): 1993–94
;Reserve team
*
German amateur football championship
The German amateur football championship was a national football competition in Germany organized by the German Football Association (German: Deutscher Fußball-Bund; DFB) and in existence from 1950 to 1998.
History
Overview
The championship w ...
(III) (1): 1976–77
League history
*1913–1914 C-Klasse (3rd tier) – ''Champions: 1914''
*1914–1918 B-Klasse (2nd tier) – ''Champions: 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918''
*1918–1919 A-Klasse (1st tier)
*1919–1920 A-Klasse (2nd tier) – ''Champions: 1920''
*1920–1921 Gauliga Berg Mark (1st tier)
*1921–1922 A-Klasse (2nd tier)
*1922–1933 Gauliga Berg Mark (1st tier) – ''Champions: 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933''
*1933–1942
Gauliga Niederrhein
The Gauliga Niederrhein was the highest football league in the northern part of the Prussian Rhine Province from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the '' Gaue' ...
(1st tier) – ''Champions: 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940''
*1942–1943 Bezirksklasse (2nd tier) – ''Champions: 1943''
*1943–1944 Gauliga Niederrhein (1st tier)
*1944–1946 no contests (WW II)
*1946–1947 Bezirksliga Berg Mark (1st tier) – ''Champions: 1947''
*1947–1949
Oberliga West Oberliga ( en, Premier league) may refer to:
Association football
* Oberliga (football), currently the fifth tier of the German football league system, formerly the first
* DDR-Oberliga, the first tier of football in East Germany until 1990, re ...
(1st tier)
*1949–1950
2. Liga West (2nd tier)
*1950–1960 Oberliga West (1st tier)
*1960–1961 2. Liga West (2nd tier)
*1961–1963 Oberliga West (1st tier)
*1963–1966
Regionalliga West
The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
(2nd tier) – ''Champions: 1966''
*1966–1967
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
(1st tier)
*1967–1971 Regionalliga West (2nd tier)
*1971–1987 Bundesliga (1st tier)
*1987–1989
2. Bundesliga (2nd tier) – ''Champions: 1989''
*1989–1992 Bundesliga (1st tier)
*1992–1993 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier)
*1993–1994
Oberliga Nordrhein
The Oberliga Nordrhein was the highest Football League in the region of Nordrhein which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 2008. In its last season, it was one of nine Oberligas in German football, the 4th tier of the Ge ...
(3rd tier) – ''Champions: 1994''
*1994–1995 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier)
*1995–1997 Bundesliga (1st tier)
*1997–1999 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier)
*1999–2000
Regionalliga West/Südwest
The Regionalliga West/Südwest was the third tier of the German football league system in the states of Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz and Nordrhein-Westfalen from 1994 to 2000.
Overview
The Regionalliga West/Südwest was formed in 1994 to form a r ...
(3rd tier)
*2000–2002
Regionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
(3rd tier)
*2002–2004 Oberliga Nordrhein (4th tier)
*2004–2008 Regionalliga Nord (3rd tier)
*2008–2009
3. Liga (3rd tier)
*2009–2012 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier)
*2012–2013 Bundesliga (1st tier)
*2013–2018 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier) – ''Champions: 2018''
*2018–2020 Bundesliga (1st tier)
*2020–''present'' 2. Bundesliga (2nd tier)
Recent seasons
Notable players
Internationals for the Germany national team
Twenty-five ''Fortuna'' players have made appearances with the
national side earning 240 caps between them. With the exception of Erich Juskowiak, all players debuted as Fortuna players:
*
Ernst Albrecht (1928–34) 17 caps
*
Klaus Allofs
Klaus Allofs (born 5 December 1956) is a German former professional Association football, football player, manager, and executive.
A Forward (association football)#Striker, striker, Allofs was a prolific goalscorer for club and country. He ama ...
(1978–81) 21 caps (56 caps overall)
*
Jakob Bender
Jakob Bender (23 March 1910 – 8 February 1981) was a German footballer who played as a midfielder. In the 1930s, he was a squad member of Fortuna Düsseldorf, who in 1933 became German League champions.
Between 1933 and 1935, Bender played f ...
(1933–35) 9 caps
*
Manfred Bockenfeld
Manfred Bockenfeld (born 23 July 1960) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Honours
Werder Bremen
*UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1991–92
*Bundesliga: 1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Mo ...
(1984) 1 cap
*
Rudi Bommer (1984) 6 caps
*
Kurt Borkenhagen (1952) 1 cap
*
Theo Breuer
Theo Breuer (born 30 March 1956) is a German poet, essayist, editor, translator and publisher.
Life and work
Theo Breuer was born in Bürvenich, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany and educated at Cologne University where he studied German an ...
(1933) 2 caps
*
Jupp Derwall
Josef "Jupp" Derwall (10 March 1927 – 26 June 2007) was a German professional football manager and player. He was head coach of the West Germany national team between 1978 and 1984, winning the UEFA Euro 1980 and reaching the final of the 198 ...
(1954) 2 caps
*
Reiner Geye
Reiner Geye (born 22 November 1949 in Duisburg; died 8 August 2002 in Mainz) was a German football player.
His career started with TuS Duisburg 48/99 and Eintracht Duisburg. From 1968 he played for Fortuna Düsseldorf. Between 1971 and 1986 h ...
(1972–74) 4 caps
*
Hans Heibach (1938) 1 cap
*
Dieter Herzog (1974) 5 caps
*
Günter Jäger
Günter Jäger (born 21 December 1935) is a German former footballer who played as a defender for Fortuna Düsseldorf and Wuppertaler SV
Wuppertaler SV is a German association football club located in Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia. The ...
(1958) 1 cap
*
Paul Janes
Paul Janes (11 March 1912 – 12 June 1987) was a German football player. He earned 71 caps and scored seven goals for the Germany national team from 1932 to 1942, and played in two World Cups: 1934 and 1938. Janes was a member of the Breslau ...
(1932–42) 71 caps
*
Erich Juskowiak
Erich Juskowiak (7 September 1926 – 1 July 1983) was a footballer who played as a left-back. He earned 31 caps and 4 goals for the West Germany national team between 1951 and 1959. He played in the World Cup Finals in 1958 where West Germany r ...
(1953–59) 30 caps (31 caps overall)
*
Stanislaus Kobierski (1931–41) 26 caps
*
Kurt Krüger (1940) 1 cap
*
Matthias Mauritz
Matthias Mauritz (13 November 1924 – 21 November 2016) was a German international footballer who played for Fortuna Düsseldorf and competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics. He was born in Düsseldorf.
Internation ...
(1959) 1 cap
*
Paul Mehl (1936) 2 caps
*
Hans Neuschäfer (1956) 1 cap
*
Wolfgang Seel (1974–77) 6 caps
*
Bernhard Steffen (1958–60) 2 caps
*
Anton Turek (1950–54) 20 caps
*
Willi Wigold (1932–34) 4 caps
*
Gerd Zewe (1978–79) 4 caps
*
Felix Zwolanowski (1940) 2 caps
Coaches
*
Kuno Klötzer
Kuno Klötzer (19 April 1922 – 6 August 2011) was a German football player and coach who won the 1977 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup managing Hamburger SV.
Born in Geyer, Germany, Klötzer managed several clubs included Arminia Hannover, Hannover 9 ...
(July 1963 – June 1967)
*
Otto Knefler
Otto Knefler (5 September 1923 – 30 October 1986) was a German association football player and manager.
As player he won the championship of the German Democratic Republic of 1952 with Turbine Halle, today known as Hallescher FC. Between 196 ...
(July 1968 – June 1970)
*
Heinz Lucas (July 1970 – April 1975)
* Manfred Krafft (April 1975 – April 1976)
*
Sepp Piontek
Josef Emanuel Hubertus "Sepp" Piontek (born 5 March 1940) is a German former footballer and manager.
Playing career
Born in Breslau, now Wrocław. Piontek started his playing career with VfL Germania Leer. Between 1963 and 1972, the full-back ...
(July 1975 – April 1976)
*
Dietrich Weise (July 1976 – June 1978)
*
Hans-Dieter Tippenhauer (July 1978 – October 1979)
*
Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel (; born 9 August 1938) is a German former football coach and player.
Rehhagel is one of only two people who, as player and manager combined, has participated in over 1,000 Bundesliga matches (the other being Jupp Heynckes). In t ...
(October 1979 – December 1980)
*
Heinz Höher
Heinz Höher (11 August 1938 – 7 November 2019) was a German football player and manager.
Playing career
Höher played for Bayer Leverkusen, Meidericher SV, FC Twente and VfL Bochum.
Coaching career
Höher coached Schwarz-Weiß Essen, VfL B ...
(December 1980 – June 1981)
*
Jörg Berger
Jörg Berger (13 October 1944 – 23 June 2010) was a German football manager and player, who last managed Arminia Bielefeld.
Career
As an active he played for 1.FC Lok Leipzig.
Coaching career
In 1970, Berger was forced to retire due t ...
(July 1981 – October 1982)
*
Willibert Kremer
Willibert Kremer (15 October 1939 – 24 December 2021) was a German football coach and player. He died on 24 December 2021, at the age of 82.
Honours
As a coach
* DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition hel ...
(October 1982 – April 1985)
*
Dieter Brei (April 1985 – April 1987)
*
Gerd Meyer
Gerd Meyer (born 5 October 1963) is a German lightweight rower. He won a gold medal at the 1987 World Rowing Championships in Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a pr ...
(April 1987 – June 1987)
*
Aleksandar Ristić
Aleksandar Ristić (born 28 June 1944) is a Bosnian-Herzegovinian football manager and a former player.
Playing career Club
Ristić was born in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. During his playing career he played for the Yugoslav clubs FK Velež Mostar, ...
(July 1987 – December 1990)
*
Josef Hickersberger
Josef Hickersberger (born 27 April 1948) is a former professional football player and former coach of the Austria national football team and Austrian club side Rapid Wien.
Club career
Hickersberger was born in Amstetten, Austria. He started hi ...
(December 1990 – August 1991)
*
Rolf Schafstall
Rudolf 'Rolf' Schafstall (22 February 1937 – 30 January 2018) was a German football coach and a player. He was born in Duisburg, Germany.
Schafstall died on 30 January 2018 in Krefeld
Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefe ...
(August 1991 – January 1992)
*
Hans-Jürgen Gede
Hans-Jürgen Gede (born 14 November 1956) is a German Association football, football coach and former player.
Playing career
Born in Gelsenkirchen, Gede began playing football for FC Schalke 04 in 1975. In 1977, he joined SC Preußen Münster a ...
(January 1992 – March 1992)
*
Horst Köppel
Horst Köppel (born 17 May 1948) is a German football manager and former player who last worked as manager for FC Ingolstadt 04 in 2009.
Playing career
Köppel scored 83 goals in the West German top-flight.
For the West Germany national team ...
(January 1992 – August 1992)
*
Rudolf Wojtowicz
Rudolf Wojtowicz (born 9 June 1956 in Bytom) is a retired Polish football player, who in different periods of his career was a defender or a midfielder. Wojtowicz initially represented Szombierki Bytom, winning Polish championships in 1980. In the ...
''(interim)'' (August 1992)
*
Aleksandar Ristić
Aleksandar Ristić (born 28 June 1944) is a Bosnian-Herzegovinian football manager and a former player.
Playing career Club
Ristić was born in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. During his playing career he played for the Yugoslav clubs FK Velež Mostar, ...
(August 1992 – November 1996)
*
Rudolf Wojtowicz
Rudolf Wojtowicz (born 9 June 1956 in Bytom) is a retired Polish football player, who in different periods of his career was a defender or a midfielder. Wojtowicz initially represented Szombierki Bytom, winning Polish championships in 1980. In the ...
(November 1996 – September 1997)
*
Uli Maslo
Uli Maslo (born 6 July 1938) is a German retired football player and manager.
Career
Maslo joined Tweede Divisie club RCH Heemstede from Rot-Weiss Essen
Rot-Weiss Essen is a German association football club based in Essen, North Rhine-Wes ...
(September 1997 – April 1998)
*
Enver Marić
Enver Marić (born 16 April 1948) is a Bosnian former professional football goalkeeper and retired football manager.
Club career
He started his career playing for FK Velež Mostar from 1967 to 1976, for who he played a record 600 games in his ni ...
''(interim)'' (April 1998 – June 1998)
*
Klaus Allofs
Klaus Allofs (born 5 December 1956) is a German former professional Association football, football player, manager, and executive.
A Forward (association football)#Striker, striker, Allofs was a prolific goalscorer for club and country. He ama ...
(July 1998 – April 1999)
*
Peter Neururer
Peter Neururer (born 26 April 1955) is a German professional football manager, notable for coaching a number of Bundesliga clubs.
Managerial career
Neururer had a minor playing career in the lower leagues before moving into coaching at TuS Hal ...
(April 1999 – June 1999)
*
Jürgen Gelsdorf
Jürgen Gelsdorf (born 19 January 1953) is a German Association football, football coach and former player who is currently youth teams coordinator at Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Sporting career As a player
For the 1972–73 Regionalliga, 1972/73 seas ...
(July 1999 – May 2000)
*
Aleksandar Ristić
Aleksandar Ristić (born 28 June 1944) is a Bosnian-Herzegovinian football manager and a former player.
Playing career Club
Ristić was born in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. During his playing career he played for the Yugoslav clubs FK Velež Mostar, ...
(July 2000 – January 2001)
*
Uwe Fuchs
Uwe Fuchs (born 23 July 1966) is a German football coach and former player.
Playing career
Fuchs was born in Kaiserslautern.
He was loaned to Middlesbrough towards the end of the 1994–95 season, playing just 15 games, but was instrumental in ...
(January –April 2001)
* Tim Kamp (April 2001 – April 2002)
*
Stefan Emmerling (April –June 2002)
*
Slavko Petrović
Slavko Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Славко Петровић, born 10 August 1958) is a Serbian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player.
Playing career
Petrović was a goalkeeper at Red Star ...
(July 2002 – May 2003)
*
Uwe Weidemann (May –June 2003)
*
Massimo Morales
Massimo Morales (born 20 April 1964) is an Italian football manager.
Coaching career
Morales was born in Caserta. He managed 1. FK Příbram from March 2008, and led the Czech team to 2nd place in Czech 2. Liga, thus ensuring promotion back to t ...
(July 2003 – November 2004)
*
Uwe Weidemann (November 2004 – November 2007)
* Wolf Werner ''(interim)'' (November –December 2007)
*
Norbert Meier
Norbert Meier (born 20 September 1958) is a German former football player, who played as a midfielder, and manager who last managed KFC Uerdingen.
Playing career
Meier's career as a player was spent mostly at SV Werder Bremen where he played fir ...
(January 2008 – June 2013)
*
Mike Büskens
Michael Büskens (; born 19 March 1968) is a German former football player who played as a midfielder and a football manager. He is currently the assistant head coach of Bundesliga club Schalke 04.
During a 14-year professional career, he appea ...
(June – November 2013)
*
Oliver Reck
Oliver Reck (born 27 February 1965) is a German football manager and former player.
In a 20-year professional career, he played as a goalkeeper and was best known for his stints with Werder Bremen and Schalke 04, for whom he appeared in more t ...
''(interim)'' (November and December 2013)
*
Lorenz-Günther Köstner
Lorenz-Günther Köstner (born 30 January 1952) is a retired German footballer who is now a football manager who last managed Fortuna Düsseldorf. Following the sacking of Armin Veh on 25 January 2010, he was named interim manager of VfL Wolfsbur ...
(January 2014 – June 2014)
*
Oliver Reck
Oliver Reck (born 27 February 1965) is a German football manager and former player.
In a 20-year professional career, he played as a goalkeeper and was best known for his stints with Werder Bremen and Schalke 04, for whom he appeared in more t ...
(June 2014 – February 2015)
*
Taşkın Aksoy ''(interim)'' (April 2015 – June 2015)
*
Frank Kramer (July 2015 – November 2015)
*
Peter Hermann ''(interim)'' (November 2015 – December 2015)
*
Marco Kurz
Marco Kurz (born 16 May 1969) is a German football manager and former player who played as a defender. He last managed Australian side Melbourne Victory.
Playing career
Kurz, who played as a defender, started playing football at SV Sillenbuch, ...
(December 2015 – March 2016)
*
Friedhelm Funkel
Friedhelm Funkel (born 10 December 1953) is a German football manager and former player, who last managed 1. FC Köln.
Coaching career Early career
Funkel was manager of Duisburg between 13 May 1996 and 24 March 2000. He finished with a record o ...
(March 2016 – January 2020)
*
Uwe Rösler
Uwe Rösler (; born 15 November 1968) is a German football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player he was a centre forward, notably playing in the Premier League for Manchester City, where he was the leading goalscorer for three ...
(January 2020 – June 2021)
*
Christian Preußer
Christian Preußer (born 23 January 1984) is a German Association football, football manager.
Coaching career
Preußer managed FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt, Rot-Weiß Erfurt's under-19 team before signing a contract to manage the senior team until mid-20 ...
(July 2021 – February 2022)
*
Daniel Thioune
Daniel Moustapha Thioune (born 21 July 1974) is a German professional football manager and former player who currently manages Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Thioune spent most of his playing career at VfL Osnabrück, where he established himself as a pr ...
(February 2022 – )
Stadiums
* Lichtplatz (1908–19)
* Vennhauser Straße (1919–30)
*
Paul-Janes-Stadion
The Paul-Janes-Stadion in Düsseldorf-Flingern is one of the home grounds of Fortuna Düsseldorf (1930–1972, early 2002-2005). It is located at 87 Flinger Broich, to the east of the city centre in the Nord Flingern district.
The stadium was bu ...
(1930–53, 1970–72, 1975–76 (Evasive), 2002–05, 2005–07 (Evasive))
*
Rheinstadion
The Rheinstadion () was a multi-purpose stadium, in Düsseldorf, Germany. The stadium was built, near the Rhine, in 1926 and held 54,000 people at the end of its life.
It was the home ground for Fortuna Düsseldorf from 1953 to 1970 and 1972–2 ...
(1953–70, 1972–2002)
* LTU Arena/Esprit Arena/
Merkur Spiel-Arena
Merkur Spielarena (stylized as MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA), previously known as the Esprit Arena (until 2 August 2018), the LTU Arena (until June 2009), and as the Düsseldorf Arena (during the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest), is a multi-functional footba ...
(since 2005)
*
Lena-Arena
The Lena-Arena, also known as the airberlin world for sponsorship purposes, was Fortuna Düsseldorf's temporary stadium during the hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 at Fortuna's Merkur Spiel-Arena, ESPRIT Arena.
History
Following Len ...
(April–May 2011)
Records and firsts
* 1928: first German team to visit Africa for friendly competition
* 1960: first German team to sign an African player (
Charles Gyamfi
Charles Kumi Gyamfi (4 December 1929 – 2 September 2015) was a Ghanaian footballer and coach, who as a player became the first African to play in Germany when he joined Fortuna Düsseldorf in 1960, and later became the first coach to lead the ...
)
* 1978 – 7 Dec.: Fortuna obtained a 7–1 victory against
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
, to date the worst away defeat for Bayern in its entire Bundesliga history.
* 1978 – 1981: consecutive DFB-Pokal match victories (18)
* 2009: Fortuna set an all-time attendance record for third level football in Germany: 50,095 visitors saw a 1–0 victory against
Werder Bremen U23 that meant promotion into the 2. Bundesliga.
Rivalries and fan culture
Fortuna's fiercest rivalry is with 1. FC Köln, which stems from the geographic proximity of Düsseldorf and Cologne as well as the historic rivalry between the two cities. However, in recent seasons the clubs have rarely played in the same division making head-to-head encounters increasingly rare. The 2013–14 season marked the last time the two clubs met in competitive matches when both played in the Second Division. For the 2018–19 season, Fortuna was promoted to the 1. Bundesliga precisely as 1. FC Köln was demoted from the Bundesliga to the Second Division, again avoiding the "Rheinland Derby".
Fortuna's other historic rivals are Rot-Weiss Essen, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, and Wuppertaler SV. During the 1970s, all four clubs played in the Bundesliga. Both Essen and Wuppertal have since dropped to lower leagues. Bayer Leverkusen, on the other hand, has emerged as a powerful force in the Bundesliga. Leverkusen's financial support from the Bayer chemical conglomerate has led to many Düsseldorf fans criticizing the club as "plastic" and inauthentic, without any real tradition. During the seasons when they both played in the Second Division, Fortuna's matches against MSV Duisburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach were hotly contested and were often referred to as "Lower Rhein Derbys". Fortuna Düsseldorf and Rot-Weiss Essen have played one another 59 times and many fans still regard this as a heated rivalry, but direct matches have been rare in recent years. Fortuna also has inter-city rivalries with Düsseldorf SC99 and TuRU Düsseldorf, yet these have also lost their intensity. During the post-war years, no other club within the Düsseldorf city limits has ever played in a higher division than Fortuna.
Because of the dominance of FC Bayern München in recent decades, Fortuna also has a competitive rivalry with the Bavarians. Although Düsseldorf has not mounted a serious challenge for the Bundesliga championship since the early 1970s, matches between Fortuna and FC Bayern have been fiercely contested. In a 1975 match, Bayern led at halftime 4:2, but Fortuna came back to win 6:5. On 9 December 1978, Fortuna defeated FC Bayern 7:1, an outcome which to this day remains FC Bayern's worst-ever away loss. During the 1985–86 season, Fortuna was the only team to win both of its games against the eventual champions from Munich, winning 4:0 and 3:2.
The band
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers", figuratively "The Deadbeats") is a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf.
History
The current members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephe ...
, many of whose members are enthusiastic fans of Fortuna Düsseldorf, have celebrated the team's success against FC Bayern in their song "Bayern" which appears on their album "Immortal".
The last Bundesliga game was a draw after Munich had led 3–1. Fortuna scored two goals, 3: 3 in 10 minutes.
The club has a particular strong affiliation with English League One side
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
, with their supporters making annual visits to see them at their home ground,
Portman Road
Portman Road is a football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly internatio ...
, since 2003. Ipswich fans have also done the same, with some coming to cheer Dusseldorf on at the Merkur Spiel-Arena.
Fortuna Düsseldorf enjoys a strong a spirited fan base, and supporters in the "ultra" curve of the stadium are well known for their elaborate choreographed displays and enthusiastic support for their club, which occasionally includes the lighting of "Bengalos" or fireworks in the stands.
Members of the band
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers", figuratively "The Deadbeats") is a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf.
History
The current members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephe ...
, including lead singer Campino, are often present at Fortuna matches at home and on the road, and when Fortuna celebrated its recent 2. Division championship in front of thousands of fans at Düsseldorf's city hall on 14 May 2018, the band appeared with them.
The band is also highly regarded by the club for serving as sponsors during the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons, when the club had been relegated to the Regional League and faced financial difficulty.
Futsal
Since June 1, 2015, Fortuna Düsseldorf has its futsal department. Since then, the
Futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hardcourt, hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and Indoor soccer, indoor football.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players ...
department has developed into one of the strongest in Germany. They took part in the
Deutsche Futsal Meisterschaft 2021 of the
DFB DFB may refer to:
* Deerfield Beach, Florida, a city
* Decafluorobutane, a fluorocarbon gas
* Dem Franchize Boyz, former hip hop group, Atlanta, Georgia
* Dfb, Köppen climate classification for Humid continental climate
* Distributed-feedback ...
as the winner of the Futsalliga West in the 2020–21 season and is one of the founding members of the
Futsal Bundesliga The Futsal Bundesliga is the highest League in the German futsal league system. The league is largely semi-professional, and the first season was played in 2021.
History
The DFB has been playing a German Futsal Championship since 2006. Until 201 ...
. The team is wearing on the 3rd September 2021 in their home venue, the Castello in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
, the opening match of the Bundesliga against the
HSV Panthers.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dusseldorf, Fortuna
Football clubs in Germany
Football clubs in North Rhine-Westphalia
Sport in Düsseldorf
Association football clubs established in 1895
1895 establishments in Germany
Bundesliga clubs
2. Bundesliga clubs
3. Liga clubs