The German Football Association ( ; DFB ) is the governing body of
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
,
futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
, and
beach soccer
Beach soccer, also known as beach football, sand football or sand soccer, is a variant of association football played on a beach or some form of sand between two teams of five players each.
Association football has long been played informally on ...
in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. A founding member of both
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
and
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
, the DFB has jurisdiction for the
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for Football in Germany, association football in Germany that in the 2016–17 Season (sports), season consisted of 2,235 Sports_leagu ...
and is in charge of the men's and women's national teams. The DFB headquarters are in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. Sole members of the DFB are the
German Football League
The German Football League (GFL) is a professional American football league in Germany. The league was formed in 1979. In 1999, the league changed to its current name from American-Football-Bundesliga.
(; DFL), organising the professional
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
and the 2. Bundesliga, along with five regional and 21 state associations, organising the semi-professional and amateur levels. The 21 state associations of the DFB have a combined number of more than 25,000 clubs with more than 6.8 million members, making the DFB the single largest sports federation in the world.
History
1875 to 1900
From 1875 to the mid-1880s, the first kind of football played in Germany was according to
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby union: 15 players per side
*** American flag rugby
*** Beach rugby
*** Mini rugby
*** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side
*** Rugby tens, 10 players per side
*** Snow rugby
*** Tou ...
rules. Later, association-style football teams formed separate clubs, and since 1890, they began to organise on regional and national levels.
1900 to 1933
The DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund) was founded on 28 January 1900 in
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
by representatives of 86 clubs. The vote held to establish the association was 62:22 in favour (84 votes). Some delegates present represented more than one club, but may have voted only once. Other delegates present did not carry their club's authority to cast a ballot.
Ferdinand Hueppe
Ferdinand Adolph Theophil Hueppe (24 August 1852 – 15 September 1938) was a German physician, bacteriologist and hygienist. From 1900 to 1904, he was the first Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB, German Football Association) president.
Biography
Fr ...
, the representative of DFC Prague, was named its first president. The DFB consolidated the large number of state-based German regional competitions in play for a single recognized national title for the season 1902/03. Germans were not present in Paris when FIFA was founded by seven nations in May 1904, but by the time the FIFA statutes came into effect on 1 September, Germany had also joined by telegram as the eighth nation. The German national team played its first game in 1908.
Before 1914, the
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
was much larger than today's Germany, comprising Alsace-Lorraine and the eastern provinces. The borders of the regional associations were drawn according to suitable railway connections. Also, teams based in
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
, then part of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
, were eligible, as they were German Football clubs and thus considered German. Thus, a German team from
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
was runner-up in the German championship. On the other hand, clubs of the Danish minority in
Northern Schleswig
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ra ...
refused to join the DFB. This area after World War I voted to join Denmark. Due to border changes imposed by the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...
, the DFB had to adapt its structure. The
Saarland
Saarland (, ; ) is a state of Germany in the southwest of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and the smallest in ...
East Prussia
East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...
was cut off from the main part by the
Polish Corridor
The Polish Corridor (; ), also known as the Pomeranian Corridor, was a territory located in the region of Pomerelia (Pomeranian Voivodeship, Eastern Pomerania), which provided the Second Polish Republic with access to the Baltic Sea, thus d ...
.
1933 to 1945
The role of DFB and its representatives like
Felix Linnemann
Felix Linnemann (20 October 1882 – 21 March 1948) was the fourth president of the German Football Association, the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB), serving from 1925 to 1945.
Biography
Felix Linnemann was born and grew up at the edge of the Lün ...
under
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
was documented in ''100 Jahre DFB'' and by Nils Havemann in ''Fußball unterm Hakenkreuz''. According to ''
Gleichschaltung
The Nazi term (), meaning "synchronization" or "coordination", was the process of Nazification by which Adolf Hitler—leader of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany—established a system of totalitarian control and coordination over all ...
'' policy, the DFB, with its large membership from all political sides, and strong regional structures compared to weak national ones, submitted to new rulers and new Gau structures. On a short general meeting on 9 July 1933 in Berlin, the DFB did so, at least formally.
Later, the
Hitler salute
The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...
was made compulsory;
Marxists
Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, and ...
and
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
were expelled. The records of
German Jews
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...
were erased from the DFB's records, such as those of
Gottfried Fuchs
Gottfried Erik Fuchs (3 May 1889 – 25 February 1972), also known as Godfrey Fuchs, was a German Olympic footballer. He scored a then-world record 10 goals for the Germany national football team, Germany national team in a 16–0 win against Rus ...
who had scored a world record ten goals for Germany in a 16–0 win against
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
at the
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...
in Stockholm, becoming the top scorer of the tournament and setting an international record. When, in 1972, German former player and national team coach
Sepp Herberger
Josef "Sepp" Herberger (28 March 1897 – 28 April 1977) was a German football player and manager. He is most famous for being the manager of the West Germany national team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup final, a match later dubbed '' The Mir ...
asked the German Football Association vice president Hermann Neuberger to invite Fuchs as a guest or a guest of honour to an international against Russia on the 60th anniversary of Fuchs' performance for the German team, the DFB Executive Committee declined to do so, writing that it was not willing to invite Fuchs because it would have created an unfortunate precedent (as was pointed out, given that Fuchs was the last remaining former Jewish German international, the DFB's concern about creating a precedent was a difficult one to understand). As of 2016, Fuchs was still the top German scorer for one match.
A new organization, Deutscher Reichsbund für Leibesübungen (German Reich League for Physical Exercise), was established and Linnemann was appointed leader of its ''Fachamt Fußball'' (Football section), which took over the operational affairs, whereas the DFB lost most of its duties until it was formally dissolved in 1940.
On the pitch, Germany had done well in 1934, but after a 0–2 loss to Norway in the quarter finals of the
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
, with
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
attending, the DFB and football fell from grace. ''Reichsjugendführer''
Baldur von Schirach
Baldur Benedikt von Schirach (; 9 May 1907 – 8 August 1974) was a German politician who was the leader of the Hitler Youth from 1931 to 1940. From 1940 to 1945, he was the '' Gauleiter'' (district leader) and '' Reichsstatthalter'' (Reich gov ...
and the
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...
took over youth football (under 16) from the clubs following a deal with ''Reichssportführer''
Hans von Tschammer und Osten
Hans von Tschammer und Osten (25 October 1887 – 25 March 1943) was a German sport official, SA leader and a member of the '' Reichstag'' for the Nazi Party of Nazi Germany. He was married to Sophie Margarethe von Carlowitz.
Hans von Tschamme ...
, who had been in charge of all sports in Germany since 1933, making DFB officials even more powerless. Germany had made a bid to host the
1938 World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the 3rd edition of the World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in France from 4 to 19 June 1938. Italy defended its title in the final, beating Hungar ...
, but it was withdrawn without comment.
Following the
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
in March 1938 that made
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
part of Germany, the
Austrian Football Association
The Austrian Football Association (; ÖFB) is the governing body of football in Austria. It organises the football league, Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup and the Austria national football team, as well as its female equivalent. It is b ...
became part of the German federation. New coach
Sepp Herberger
Josef "Sepp" Herberger (28 March 1897 – 28 April 1977) was a German football player and manager. He is most famous for being the manager of the West Germany national team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup final, a match later dubbed '' The Mir ...
was told on short notice to use also Austrian players in his team, which was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup, weakening the situation of football within the Nazi politics to near meaninglessness. Four Germans (Hans Jakob, Albin Kitzinger, Ludwig Goldbrunner, and Ernst Lehner) represented West Europe in a FIFA friendly on 20 June 1937 in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, and another two (Kitzinger again and Anderl Kupfer) represented a FIFA continental team on 26 October 1938 in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England. During the war, Germany played international games until 1942.
1945 to 1963
In the aftermath of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, German organisations were disbanded by the allies.
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
decided in November 1945 to ban the no longer existing DFB (and
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
's
football association
A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...
) from international competition, while the Austrian association was re-founded. Internationally, Germans were still represented, with
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
-based
Ivo Schricker
Ivo Wolfgang Eduard Schricker (18 March 1877 – 10 January 1962) was a German footballer and the third General Secretary of the FIFA, serving from 1932 to 1951 upon his resignation.
Biography
Ivo Schricker was son of a privy councilor in Stras ...
serving as General Secretary of FIFA from 1932 to December 1950. In 1948, Switzerland requested FIFA to lift the ban on games against Germans, but this was denied. Swiss clubs played German clubs anyway, but had to cease doing so due to international protests. This was only changed in 1949 when
The Football Association
The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
requested FIFA to lift the ban on club games. FIFA did so on 7 May 1949, two weeks before the
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...
was founded, thus games required permission by the military governments of the time.
Due to partition into several occupation zones, and states, the DFB was legally re-founded in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
on 21 January 1950 only by the West German regional associations, without the Saarland Football Association in the French occupied Saarland, which on 12 June 1950 would be recognized by FIFA as the first of three German FAs after the war. At the FIFA congress held on 22 June prior to the
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the 4th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. It was the first Wo ...
in Brazil, the
Swiss Football Association
The Swiss Football Association (, , , ) is the governing body of football in Switzerland. It organizes the football league, the Swiss Football League and the Switzerland national football team. It is based in Bern.
It was formed in 1895, was a ...
requested that the DFB be reinstated with full FIFA membership, which was granted on 22 September 1950 in Brussels. Thus, Germany was excluded from the
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the 4th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. It was the first Wo ...
and could resume international games only in late 1950.
In the early years of the
division of Germany
Division may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 to ...
, West Germany claimed exclusive mandate of all of Germany. Unlike the
IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based in L ...
, which granted only provisional recognition to the East Germans in 1955, demanding they participate in an All-German Olympic team (
United Team of Germany
The United Team of Germany () was a combined team of athletes from West Germany and East Germany that competed in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympic Games, Winter and Summer Olympic Games. In 1956, the team also included athletes from a third ...
), FIFA fully recognized the East German Football Association in 1952. Winning the 1954 World Cup was a major success for the DFB, and the popularity of the sport in Germany.
The teams of the DFB and the Saarland were squared off in the qualifiers for the 1954 World Cup before the Saarland and its FA was permitted to rejoin Germany and the DFB in 1956.
1963 to present
Due to that success, and due to regional associations fearing to lose influence, the old amateur structure, in which five regional leagues represented the top level, remained in effect longer than in many other countries, even though a ''
Reichsliga
The Reichsliga (, ''Reich League'') was a proposed nationwide German association football league. First suggested in 1932 by German Football Association (DFB) president Felix Linnemann, the ''Reichsliga'' was essentially a forerunner of the ''B ...
'' had been proposed decades ago. Also, professionalism was rejected, and players who played abroad were considered "mercenaries" and not capped. The conservative attitude changed only after disappointing results in the
1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the 7th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place between ...
when officials like the 75-year-old Peco Bauwens retired. According to the proposals of Hermann Neuberger, the DFB finally introduced a single nationwide professional league, the Bundesliga, for the 1963–64 season.
The DFB has hosted the World Cup in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
and
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
. Germany also hosted the European Championship in
1988
1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
as well as in
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
. Upon reunification in 1990, the East German
Deutscher Fußball-Verband der DDR
The Deutscher Fußball-Verband der DDR (DFV), was from 1958 the football association of the (East) East Germany, German Democratic Republic, fielding the East Germany national football team until 1990 before rejoining its counterpart, the Germ ...
(DFV) was absorbed into the DFB along its honours.
The national team won the World Cup for a second time in 1974, a third time in
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
, and a fourth in the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
. Also, they were crowned European champions three times, in 1972, in 1980 and in 1996. On top, the ''Mannschaft'' were runners-up in the 1966, 1982, 1986 and 2002 World Cups and in 1976, 1992 and 2008 European Championships, making it the second-most successful national team in the world as well as the most successful national team in Europe.
The DFB has also overseen the rise of Germany as a world power in
women's football Women's football most often refers to:
* Women's association football
Women's football may also refer to:
* Women's gridiron football
* Women's Australian rules football
* Ladies' Gaelic football
* Women's rugby league
* Women's rugby union
...
. The
national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
has won
World Cups
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
in
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
and
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
—the latter without conceding a goal in the final tournament, making them the only World Cup champions for men or women to do so. Furthermore, the women's national team's victory in 2003 made Germany the only nation to have won both the Men's and Women's World Cups, until
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
achieved the same milestone in
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
. They have also won eight
UEFA Women's Championship
The UEFA European Women's Championship, also called the UEFA Women's Euro, held every four years and one year after the men's UEFA European Championship first held in 1984, is the main competition in women's association football between nationa ...
s, including the last six in succession.
In 1990, mere months before reunification became official, the DFB founded the women's Bundesliga (''Frauen-Bundesliga''), directly modelled after the men's Bundesliga. Initially, it was played in north and south divisions but became a single league in 1997. Bundesliga teams have enjoyed more success in the
UEFA Women's Champions League
The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA.
...
than those from any other nation; four different clubs have won a total of nine titles, with the most recent being 2015 champions1. FFC Frankfurt, now known as Eintracht Frankfurt.
Since 2005, in memory of former German-Jewish Olympian international footballer Julius Hirsch who was killed in
Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...
during
the Holocaust
The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
, the German Football Federation awards the " Julius-Hirsch-Preis" for outstanding examples of integration and tolerance within German football.
Competitions
Critics
The main criticisms of the DFB are the lack of transparency and the commercialization of football, which has been strongly promoted by DFB officials.
Christian Prechtl, from the fan organization '' FC PlayFair!'', mentioned that the growing unpopularity of the men's national team is "just a perfect example of what can happen when you have the fans out of sight".
Structure
Members
Direct members of the DFB are only its five regional associations and its 21 state associations, along with the
German Football League
The German Football League (GFL) is a professional American football league in Germany. The league was formed in 1979. In 1999, the league changed to its current name from American-Football-Bundesliga.
, whereas the clubs participating in the
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for Football in Germany, association football in Germany that in the 2016–17 Season (sports), season consisted of 2,235 Sports_leagu ...
are members of the state associations covering their district. Today, more than 25,000 clubs are organised in those state associations, fielding nearly 170,000 teams with over two million active players and totalling over six million members, the largest membership of any single sports federation in the world. The Association governs 870,000 male members and 8,600 female teams.
Regional and state associations
The DFB is organised into five regional associations, which themselves are sub-divided into 21 state associations. These associations typically have their boundaries run along the borders of the German
states
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
, with the exception of some states (
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
,
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
, and
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
) having up to three state associations covering different areas of such state.
Southern Germany
The
Southern German Football Association
The Southern German Football Association (), the ''SFV'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse.Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
and
Hesse
Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
. The ''SFV'', formed on 17 October 1897 under the name of ''Verband Süddeutscher Fußball-Vereine'', originally administered the
Southern German football championship
The Southern German football championship () was the highest association football competition in the southern Germany, established in 1898. The competition was disbanded in 1933 with the rise of the Nazis to power.
While no senior Southern German ...
, until it was dissolved by the Nazis in 1933. Reformed in the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
occupation zone after the Second World War, it operated the
Oberliga Süd Oberliga () 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, replaced by the NOFV-O ...
, the regional division of the former top level German Oberliga until the introduction of the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
in 1963. Since the 2012–13 season, the ''SFV'', except its member Bavarian FA, along with the ''Football Association of the Southwest'' is in charge of the
Regionalliga Südwest
The Regionalliga Südwest ('Regional League Southwest') is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with t ...
, a step 4 division in the
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for Football in Germany, association football in Germany that in the 2016–17 Season (sports), season consisted of 2,235 Sports_leagu ...
. The ''SFV'' itself is formed by the following state associations:
* Baden Football Association ( ''BFV'')
*
Württemberg Football Association
The Württemberg Football Association (), the ''WFV'', is one of 21 state organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the north-eastern part of the state of Baden-Württemberg.
( ''WFV'')
Southwestern Germany
The
Southwestern Regional Football Association
The Regional Football Association South West (), the ''FRVS'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
and
Saarland
Saarland (, ; ) is a state of Germany in the southwest of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and the smallest in ...
and was formed after the Second World War in the French occupation zone in Germany. Its highest league until the introduction of the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
in 1963 was the Oberliga Südwest, the regional division of the former top level German Oberliga. Since the 2012–13 season, the ''FRVS'', along with the ''Southern German football association'' is in charge of
Regionalliga Südwest
The Regionalliga Südwest ('Regional League Southwest') is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with t ...
, a step 4 division in the
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for Football in Germany, association football in Germany that in the 2016–17 Season (sports), season consisted of 2,235 Sports_leagu ...
. Additionally, the ''FRVS'' administers the
Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar
The Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar, formerly the ''Oberliga Südwest'', is the highest regional football league for the Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland states of Germany, organized by the Southwestern Regional Football Association. It is one of tw ...
The Western German Football Association ( ''WDFV'') covers the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
. The association was known as ''WFLV'' from 2002 to 2016 and used to administer the Western German football championship until 1933. From 1947 to 1963, its highest league was the Oberliga West, the regional division of the former top level German Oberliga. Since the 2008–09 season, the ''WDFV'' is in charge of the Regionalliga West, a step 4 division in the
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for Football in Germany, association football in Germany that in the 2016–17 Season (sports), season consisted of 2,235 Sports_leagu ...
. The ''WDFV'' itself is formed by the following state associations:
* Middle Rhine Football Association ( ''FVM'')
* Lower Rhine Football Association ( ''FVN'')
* Westphalia Football and Athletics Association ( ''FLVW'')
Northern Germany
The Northern German Football Association ( ''NFV'') covers the states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. The association used to administer the Northern German football championship until 1933. From 1947 to 1963, its highest league was the Oberliga Nord (1947-63), Oberliga Nord, the regional division of the former top level German Oberliga. Since the 1994–95 season, the ''NFV'' is in charge of the Regionalliga Nord, a step 4 division in the
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for Football in Germany, association football in Germany that in the 2016–17 Season (sports), season consisted of 2,235 Sports_leagu ...
. The ''NFV'' itself is formed by the following state associations:
* Bremen Football Association ( ''BFV'')
* Hamburg Football Association ( ''HFV'')
* Lower Saxony Football Association ( ''NFV'')
* Schleswig-Holstein Football Association ( ''SHFV'')
Northeastern Germany
The Northeastern German Football Association ( ''NOFV'') covers the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The association is the youngest of the five regional associations, having been formed after German reunification in 1990 as a successor of the disbanded ''German Football Association of the East Germany, GDR''. Since the 2012–13 season and previously from 1994 to 2000, the ''NOFV'' administers the Regionalliga Nordost, a step 4 division in the
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for Football in Germany, association football in Germany that in the 2016–17 Season (sports), season consisted of 2,235 Sports_leagu ...
, and the step 5 NOFV-Oberliga, Oberliga Nordost. The ''NOFV'' itself is formed by the following state associations:North Eastern German Football Association website accessed: 17 July 2012
* Brandenburg Football Association ( ''FLB'')
* Berlin Football Association ( ''BFV'')
* Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Football Association ( ''LFVM'')
* Saxony Football Association ( ''SFV'')
* Saxony-Anhalt Football Association ( ''FSA'')
* Thuringian Football Association ( ''TFV'')
Presidents
*
Ferdinand Hueppe
Ferdinand Adolph Theophil Hueppe (24 August 1852 – 15 September 1938) was a German physician, bacteriologist and hygienist. From 1900 to 1904, he was the first Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB, German Football Association) president.
Biography
Fr ...
(1900–1904)
*Friedrich Wilhelm Nohe (1904–1905)
*Gottfried Hinze (1905–1925)
*
Felix Linnemann
Felix Linnemann (20 October 1882 – 21 March 1948) was the fourth president of the German Football Association, the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB), serving from 1925 to 1945.
Biography
Felix Linnemann was born and grew up at the edge of the Lün ...
(1925–1940)
* Peco Bauwens (1950–1962)
*Hermann Gösmann (1962–1975)
* Hermann Neuberger (1975–1992, died in office)
*Egidius Braun (1992–2001)
*Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder (2001–2004)
*Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder and Theo Zwanziger (2004–2006)
*Theo Zwanziger (2006–2012)
*Wolfgang Niersbach (2012–2015)
*''Acting'': Rainer Koch and Reinhard Rauball (2015–2016)
*Reinhard Grindel (2016–2019)
*''Acting'': Rainer Koch and Reinhard Rauball (2019)
*Fritz Keller (football administrator), Fritz Keller (2019–2021)
*''Acting'': Rainer Koch and Peter Peters (football official), Peter Peters (2021–2022)
*Bernd Neuendorf (2022–present)
Administration
DFB Administration is located in Frankfurt (Main). It is headed by Secretary General Friedrich Curtius and managing directors Heike Ullrich (Deputy Secretary General), Oliver Bierhoff and Markus Holzherr.
Men's Honours
Major competitions
FIFA World Cup
* Champions (4): 1954 FIFA World Cup, 1954,
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
,
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
, 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
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, 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):
1988
1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
, 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, 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
Women's Honours
Major competitions
FIFA Women's World Cup
* Champions (2): FIFA Women's World Cup 2003, 2003,
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
* 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, UEFA Women's European 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, 2016
* Bronze Medal (4): Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics, 2000, Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2004, Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008, Football at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament, 2024
UEFA Women's Nations League
* Third Place (1): 2024 UEFA Women's Nations League Finals, 2024
DFB Mascot
The official mascot is an eagle with black feathers and a yellow beak called ''"Paule"'' (since 26 March 2006).
See also
*
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for Football in Germany, association football in Germany that in the 2016–17 Season (sports), season consisted of 2,235 Sports_leagu ...
*German Football Museum
*History of German football
*DFB Sports Court
*DFB-Bundestag
*Permanent Arbitration Court
UEFA profile
{{Authority control
National members of UEFA, Germany
Football governing bodies in Germany,
Futsal in Germany
Sports governing bodies in Germany, Football
1900 establishments in Germany
Sports organizations established in 1900
Non-profit organisations based in Germany