33 Fun German Football Facts You Will Enjoy Reading!

Football (known as soccer in North America), also known as Fußball in Germany, is the most popular sport in Germany.

Germany has solidified its status as one of the footballing powerhouses in the world with its four FIFA World Cup titles. Germany currently trails Brazil in titles, with Brazil winning five compared to Germany's four.

Germany has been one of the most dominant countries on the national stage, and they have held the top spot on the FIFA World Rankings owing to their amazing performance in the last few decades. The country has produced some of the finest footballers that have etched their names into the history books of the footballing world.

The former world champion has seen a bit of a downward steep in recent years, with exits in the World Cup and Euros coming in early stages. But thankfully, the German football association continues its work.

The nation has qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has seen automatic qualification in the 2024 Euros as the host nation.

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History Of German Football

The game of football, known as soccer in North America, was introduced to Germany by August Hermann and Konrad Koch, two schoolteachers, and the sport slowly became one of the most popular sports in the country.

Germany's first official international match was played against Switzerland on April 5, 1908, and they lost the match by 5-3. Germany's most significant defeat came at the hands of the England Amateurs on March 13, 1909. Their most notable victory came against the Russian Empire on July 1, 1912, when they beat the nation 16-0.

Before the formation of the Bundesliga, football in Germany was at an amateur level until 1949, after which semi-professional leagues were established in the country. The top-flight league Bundesliga began in 1963-64, and clubs from all over the country applied for admission into the newly formed league.

Germany was split into East and West Germany in 1949. Both the countries would go on to play football on the big stage, with West Germany becoming a dominant nation with the rise of stars like Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer, Hans-Jürgen Dörner, and Uli Hoeneß.

West Germany has contributed three FIFA World Cup titles out of the four held by Germany today.

In 1990, East and West Germany signed a unification treaty that would bring the two nations under the umbrella of the Federal Republic of Germany. After their unification, Germany won the world FIFA World Cup in 2014.

Championships: German Football

Germany has always been one of the best teams in global events, and both the men's and women's teams hold world cup titles!

Germany has won four FIFA World Cup titles, and the Women's national team outdoes their success as they have won two world cup titles out of the seven World Cups held for Women's football in 2003 and 2007.

The German Women's national team is one of the most successful teams in the European Championship tournaments.

They have won a record eight titles out of twelve tournaments since its inception in 1984. The Women's team has also won the Gold medal at the Summer Olympics held in Brazil in 2016.

The only time the Men's team won the Gold medal at an Olympic was in 1976 when the East Germany team beat Poland in the final of the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

Germany's first appearance in the Football world cup was in 1934. Italy was the tournament's champions, Czechoslovakia finished runners-up and Germany finished in third place.

The 1954 World Cup saw the return of West Germany into the competition after the country was disallowed from entering the tournament in 1950 as it was not a member of FIFA. West Germany won its first world cup title after beating favorites Hungary by 3-2 in the event held in Switzerland.

West Germany played on home soil in the 1974 World Cup and were favorites for the title. East and West Germany were placed in the same group alongside Australia and Chile.

Both German teams managed to advance from the group, and East Germany vs. West Germany match saw East Germany beating the much more professional West Germany 1-0.

This loss is seen as the turning point that led to West Germany beating the Netherlands in the final by 2-1. They changed their tactics and overcame the 'total football' for which legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff would become famous.

West Germany's second and Germany's overall third world cup title came in the 1990 World Cup held hosted by Italy. West Germany was drawn in Group D alongside Yugoslavia, Colombia, and United Arab Emirates.

The knockout stages would see West Germany defeat the Netherlands in the round of 16, Czechoslovakia in the quarter-finals, England in the semi-finals, and Argentina in the final.

Germany's latest World Cup title came in the year 2014 in Brazil. The team was placed in Group G alongside the United States, Portugal, and Ghana.

Germany beat Algeria in the round of 16, France in the quarter-finals, and they humiliated Brazil in the semi-finals with a 7-1 victory over them.

This was the largest goal margin in the semi-final history of the FIFA World Cup before they proceeded to beat Argentina in the final by 1-0 thanks to a goal from Mario Götze in the extra time.

The West German national football team made its first appearance in the 1972European Championship. They would go on to win the title, defeating the likes of England, Belgium, and the Soviet Union on their way to the title.

Legendary German footballer Gerd Müller scored four goals through the tournament and helped them win their first major title in 18 years!

The 1980 Euro Final saw the West Germany national football team take on Belgium in the final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The final ended with West Germany beating Belgium by 2-1 on route to their second Euro title.

The German players won their last European Championship in 1996 when they defeated the Czech Republic in the final by 2-1 thanks to Oliver Bierhoff scoring both goals.

Football Clubs: German Football

Bayern Munich is the most successful club in the history of German football. The German giants have won 31 league titles and 20 domestic cups, and the club has won 9 domestic titles consecutively since 2013.

The club is also one of the most significant contributors to the German squad that participates in the Football World Cup and the European championship.

Father Hubert Dewald, a priest at the Catholic Holy Trinity, almost stopped the creation of the popular club Borussia Dortmund! He managed to stop 22 of the original 40 members of the Trinity who set out to form the club.

Thankfully 18 of the member did not stop and founded the club in 1909! If it were up to Father Dewald, the world would have never seen Borussia Dortmund play!

RB Leipzig, a German club formed in the year 2009, under the umbrella of the multinational corporation Red Bull, had to use the term 'RasenBallSport' in their name to navigate their way through the strict rules of Bundesliga.

The 50+1 rule was introduced in 1999, making it a law for parent clubs to own 50% of the voting right plus one share. This prevents clubs from being taken over by multinational corporations.

VfL Wolfsburg is yet another club that does not follow that 50+1 rule set by the German Football Association. This is because the city was established to provide residence to Volkswagen employees who created the club in 1945.

SV Werder Bremen was founded based on a game of tug of war in 1899! The game's first prize was a football, and a group of 16-year-old students won the game and would go on to form the club.

Club Germania 1888 is the oldest active football club in Germany. They currently play in the 10th division of the German league and have never won a title in their history.

The Deutscher Fussball Bund (DFB) was formed on January 28, 1900, when 86 clubs formed the association that would govern German football. One of the first rules set by the association prohibited players from lying down on the ground to rest.

Regional leagues were replaced by introducing a new top division league in German football. The first Bundesliga match was played between Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen on August 24, 1963. Friedhelm' Timo' Konietzka scored in the first minute of the game with Borussia Dortmund losing 3-2 against their opposition.

1. FC Köln, more commonly known as FC Köln, was the maiden Bundesliga champions with the help of their inspirational playmaker Wolfgang Overath (former West Germany footballer).

German football and the Bundesliga clubs are known for nurturing young talents and getting the best out of them.

Some of these young players have been a part of the German national team since their youth, and players like Manuel Neuer, Mario Götze, Mats Hummels have gone on to win the Football World Cup while being a part of the German team setup since their teenage years.

Achievements: German Football

German football has been one of the most successful in terms of both club level and on the international level.

Germany is one of the most successful national teams on the global stage and has participated in 19 of the 21 FIFA World Cup tournaments held throughout the history of the completion. The German team has also participated in 13 out of 16 European Championship tournaments held since its inception in 1960.

The German team has won four World Cups and three European Championships over the years.

The German team has finished runners-up on four occasions, finished third on another four occasions, and finished fourth throughout their participation history.

In the European Championship tournaments, Germany has finished as runners-up on three occasions and made it to the semi-final on another three occasions.

The German team has won the FIFA Confederations Cup once in 2017 and finished at a respectable third position in the year 2005.

Germany has a good record in the Summer Olympics and has won a Gold medal in 1976, two Silver medals in 1980 and 2016, three Bronze medals in 1964, 1972, 1988, and has finished fourth once in 1952.

The German team won the FIFA World Cup Fair Play Trophy in 1974, the FIFA Confederations Cup Fair Play Award in 2017, the FIFA Team of the Year in 1993, 2014, 2017, the Laureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year in 2015, the World Soccer World Team of the Year in 1990 and 2014, and the Gazzetta Sports World Team of the Year in 1980, 1990, 2014.

What is German football famous for?

German football is famous for its achievements on the global and domestic stages of the footballing community. The country has produced some of the finest players ever to grace the football field. German footballers like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and Lothar Matthaus have held a legendary status in the sport's history.

Germany is known for not having an official stadium! The German Football Association uses various stadiums spread throughout the country to host games. Berlin has hosted a record 44 German games. Other cities used as Hamburg, Hanover, Dortmund, and Stuttgart. Munich is another popular spot, and it was used as the host of the 1974 World Cup Final match.

There are an estimated 26,000 football clubs in Germany, and all of them are governed by the German Football Association.

Germany takes football very seriously! There are around 34,970 officially registered coaches in Germany!

Timo Werner (Chelsea FC), Kai Havertz (Chelsea FC), Niklas Süle (FC Bayern Munich), and Maximilian Arnold (VfL Wolfsburg) are some of the excellent German sensations that made 100 Bundesliga appearances while they were still eligible for the U21s!

In recent years Germany has swayed more towards technical abilities instead of relying on the large build of players. Footballers like Joshua Kimmich (5'7") and Serge Gnabry (5'6") have found themselves thriving in the national team because of the change in approach.

Joachim 'Jogi' Löw, the team manager of Germany from 2006-2021, steered the German national team to their last major tournament win in the form of the Football world cup title in 2014.

Did You Know?

German players are known for their intelligence, and the current National team captain Manuel Neuer is proof of this! The goalkeeper won €500,000 for charity in the German rendition of the popular show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Kai Havertz, a regular of the German national team, became the most expensive German transfer of all time when he moved from the German club Bayer Leverkusen to the English club Chelsea FC in 2020 for a sum of approximately $90 million (€80 million)!

The Boateng brothers are one of the few siblings that represent a different National football team! Jerome Boateng represents Germany, and Kevin-Prince Boateng represents Ghana! Kevin-Prince would have had a World Cup title to his name had he chosen to represent the German National football team like his brother!

The current coach of the German National Team is Hans-Dieter Flick, popularly known as Hansi Flick. Flick served as the assistant coach to the previous coach Joachim Löw from 2006 to 2014 before taking the head coach role in 2021.

Before he was appointed the boss, Flick managed Germany's most successful club Bayern Munich from July 2019 till April 2021.

He led the club to seven titles, including domestic titles and the Champions League title. He won 70 of the 86 matches he managed for the club with nine draws and only seven losses!

Germany is often seen wearing green kits when they play away games. The decision to use green originated from the DFB crest that is green and white. The national team first wore the green jersey after World War II.

German fans are known for their loud voices, and their chants can be heard throughout the stadium!

Some of the famous phrases are Bananenflanke (used to describe a cross-shaped like a banana), Turniermannschaft (translates to 'tournament squad,' mainly used to refer to the national team), and Nach dem Spiel ist vor dem Spiel (translates to 'After the game is before the game,' referring to looking forward to the next game).

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