94-634: A Gauliga ( German pronunciation: [ˈɡaʊˌliːɡa] ) was the highest level of play in German football from 1933 to 1945. The leagues were introduced in 1933, after the Nazi takeover of power by the National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise . The German word Gauliga is composed of Gau , approximately meaning county or region, and Liga , or league. The plural
188-481: A Reichsliga 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 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,
282-519: A Reichsliga , a unified highest competition for all of Germany, like the ones already in place in countries like Italy ( Serie A ) and England ( The Football League ). Shortly before the Nazis came to power, the DFB started to seriously consider the establishment of such a national league. In a special session on 28 and 29 May 1933, a decision was to be made on the establishment of the Reichsliga as
376-507: A "former West German team" are considered by many as false - according to the DFB, this team still exists, called Germany. Germany's greatest triumphs since 1990 have been winning the 2014 World Championship in Brazil, and the 1996 European Championship secured in England with players from both the former West, including ( Jürgen Klinsmann as captain) and East ( Matthias Sammer ) as anchor of
470-637: A FIFA friendly on 20 June 1937 in Amsterdam , and another two (Kitzinger again and Anderl Kupfer ) represented a FIFA continental team on 26 October 1938 in London , England. During the war, Germany played international games until 1942. In the aftermath of World War II , German organisations were disbanded by the allies. FIFA decided in November 1945 to ban the no longer existing DFB (and Japan 's football association ) from international competition, while
564-743: A German team from Prague was runner-up in the German championship. On the other hand, clubs of the Danish minority in Northern Schleswig 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 DFB had to adapt its structure. The Saarland , Danzig , and the Memelland were detached from Germany and East Prussia
658-613: A Jewish coach ( Richard Dombi ) and chairman ( Kurt Landauer ). After the annexation of Austria in 1938, FK Austria Wien , another club with strong Jewish ties, suffered from persecution and many of the club's leaders, like its chairman Emanuel Schwarz , had to escape to survive the Nazi regime. Apart from those two clubs, the VfR Mannheim , VfB Mühlburg , 1. FC Kaiserslautern , Stuttgarter Kickers , Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Frankfurt had all benefited in their pre-1933 success from
752-592: A ballot. Ferdinand Hueppe , 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
846-418: A professional league. Four weeks before that date, the session was cancelled, professionalism and Nazi ideology did not agree with each other. With the disappointing performance of the German team at the 1938 FIFA World Cup , the debate about a Reichsliga was reopened. In August 1939, a meeting was to be held to decide on the creation of a league system of six Gauligen as a transition stage to the Reichsliga, but
940-646: A rematch of a first-round game, which Hungary had won 8–3. In response to his team's earlier thrashing at the hands of the Hungarians, legendary West German coach Sepp Herberger made key tactical adjustments in his team's lineup prior to the Final. Shortly before the match, it had started raining - in Germany this was dubbed "Fritz-Walter-Wetter" (Fritz Walter Weather) because the German team captain Fritz Walter
1034-570: A short general meeting on 9 July 1933 in Berlin, the DFB did so, at least formally. Later, the Hitler salute was made compulsory; Marxists and Jews were expelled. The records of German Jews were erased from the DFB's records, such as those of Gottfried Fuchs who had scored a world record ten goals for Germany in a 16–0 win against Russia at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, becoming
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#17327659345251128-649: A step 4 division in the German football league system , and the step 5 Oberliga Nordost . The NOFV itself is formed by the following state associations: 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. FIFA World Cup UEFA European Championship Summer Olympic Games FIFA Confederations Cup FIFA Women's World Cup UEFA Women's Championship Summer Olympic Games The official mascot
1222-572: A strong Jewish membership in the clubs and found themselves initially unpopular with the Nazis. Even though Jews were soon removed from all these clubs, some retained a more open-minded attitude than others and continued to be out of favour with the Nazis. The players of Bayern Munich for example were heavily criticised for greeting their former chairman Landauer at a friendly at Servette Geneva in Switzerland . The Nazis were, however, interested in furthering sport, especially football, as success in
1316-470: A tournament which included a memorable clash with rival the Netherlands, Germany defeated Argentina , 1–0, on an Andreas Brehme penalty kick, to win its third World Cup title. With its third title (and three second-place finishes), West Germany became the most successful World Cup nation for four years, until Brazil won their fourth championship in 1994. West German team manager Franz Beckenbauer became
1410-488: Is Gauligen . While the name Gauliga is not in use in German football any more, mainly because it is attached to the Nazi past, some sports in Germany still have Gauligen, like gymnastics and faustball . The Gauligen were formed in 1933 to replace the previously existing Bezirksligas in Weimar Germany . The Nazis initially introduced 16 regional Gauligen, some of them subdivided into groups. The introduction of
1504-519: Is identical to the team representing what was informally called West Germany from 1949 to 1990, as the German Football Association was again recognized by FIFA after WW2. Nothing changed in 1990 except enlarged membership due to the access of East German states and players, thus the continuity in the German logo and uniform style as well as references to Germany's four World Cup and three European Cup titles. Thus, all references to
1598-542: Is the governing body of football , futsal , and beach soccer in Germany . A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA , the DFB has jurisdiction for the German football league system and is in charge of the men's and women's national teams. The DFB headquarters are in Frankfurt am Main . Sole members of the DFB are the German Football League ( German : Deutsche Fußball Liga ; DFL ), organising
1692-499: Is the most popular sport in Germany with 57% of the population declaring interest in watching it. The German Football Association (German: Deutscher Fußball-Bund or DFB ) is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members (roughly eight percent of the population) organized in over 31,000 football clubs. There is a league system , with the Bundesliga , 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga on top. The winner of
1786-464: Is the only nation to have won both the men's and women's World Cup and European Championship. The Germany women's team are also the first to have won a World Cup at senior level, either for men or women, without conceding a single goal, having done so in 2007. Nadine Angerer was the goalkeeper who managed this feat. The national teams play in various stadiums throughout Germany . The cities of Düsseldorf , Munich , Dortmund and Berlin are some of
1880-679: The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup in the US and the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. The national association is the German Football Association (or Deutscher Fußball-Bund) headquartered in Frankfurt . The DFB was founded in 1900 in Leipzig , by the representatives of 86 clubs. Today, the association has some 31,000 member clubs which field 170,000 teams with over 2 million players: these numbers include 870,000 female members and 8,600 women's teams. With over six million active and passive members,
1974-570: The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup . The women's league system has the Frauen-Bundesliga , 2. Frauen-Bundesliga , and Frauen-Regionalliga . The DFB-Pokal Frauen is the main national cup competition. The first football match arguably took place in Braunschweig in 1874. Two schoolteachers, August Hermann and Konrad Koch , initiated the first match after Hermann had obtained a round football from England. In 1875, Koch published
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#17327659345252068-618: The Austrian Football Association became part of the German federation. New coach Sepp Herberger 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
2162-619: The FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017 . The Germany women's national football team has won two FIFA Women's World Cups ( 2003 , 2007 ) and a record eight UEFA European Women's Championships ( 1989 , 1991 , 1995 , 1997 , 2001 , 2005 , 2009 , 2013 ), as well as a gold medal in the Summer Olympics in 2016 . Germany was the first nation to win both the men's and women's World Cup. No country has more combined men's and women's World Cup championships, and only
2256-653: The FRVS administers the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar , a step 5 division. The FRVS itself is formed by the following state associations: The Western German Football Association ( German : Westdeutscher Fußballverband; WDFV ) covers the state of North Rhine-Westphalia . 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
2350-668: 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 in Brazil, the Swiss Football Association 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 and could resume international games only in late 1950. In
2444-879: The Gauliga Westmark three clubs from the French Lorraine region played under their German names: In the Gauliga Moselland , clubs from Luxembourg took part in the competition, including: In the Gauliga Schlesien , later the Gauliga Oberschlesien, a number of clubs from Poland played under their German names: This timeline shows the length of time periods certain Gauligen existed. Note however, that all Gauligen were severely restricted after 1944 and none finished
2538-764: The German Empire met in the restaurant Mariengarten in Leipzig , founding the DFB. The founding meeting was led by E. J. Kirmse, chairman of the Leipziger Fussball Verband (Leipzig Football Association) . Ferdinand Hueppe, representing the DFC Prag , was elected first president of the DFB. Already some years before 1900, associations like the Bund Deutscher Fussballspieler or Deutscher Fussball und Cricket-Bund were founded, but they were limited to smaller areas of
2632-583: The Hitler Youth took over youth football (under 16) from the clubs following a deal with Reichssportführer Hans von Tschammer und Osten , 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 , but it was withdrawn without comment. Following the Anschluss in March 1938 that made Austria part of Germany,
2726-477: The Mannschaft were runners-up in the 1966, 1982, 1986 and 2002 World Cups and in 1976, 1992 and 2008 European Championships. The DFB has also overseen the rise of Germany as a world power in women's football . The national team has won World Cups in 2003 and 2007 —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,
2820-538: The National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise . From 1933 to 1945 the highest level of play in German football was organised in 16 Gauligen , whose winners qualified for the finals in the German championship, held at the end of season. After the war, Germany was occupied in three states. The DFB and its team continued in what was called West Germany , while the Saarland and East Germany fielded separate teams for some years. The FIFA World Cup 1974
2914-737: The Northern German football championship until 1933. From 1947 to 1963, its highest league was the 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 NFV itself is formed by the following state associations: The Northeastern German Football Association ( German : Nordostdeutscher Fußball-Verband; NOFV ) covers
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3008-484: The Ruhr area , where the workers' movement was traditionally strong. The fact that some famous players, like FC Schalke 04 's Tibulski, Kalwitzki, Fritz Szepan , and Ernst Kuzorra , had less-than-German-sounding names and were mostly descendants of Polish immigrants, was ignored by the Nazis. On the contrary, players like Szepan successfully represented Nazi Germany in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups . Jewish players like
3102-679: The SFV , except its member Bavarian FA, along with the Football Association of the Southwest is in charge of the Regionalliga Südwest , a step 4 division in the German football league system . The SFV itself is formed by the following state associations: The Southwestern Regional Football Association ( German : Fußball-Regional-Verband Südwest; FRVS ) covers the states Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland and
3196-595: The Saarland into Germany, the country and the leagues began to expand. With the aggressive expansion politics, and later, through the Second World War , Germany grew considerably in size. New or regained territories were incorporated into Nazi Germany . In those regions incorporated into Germany, new Gauligen were formed. With the outbreak of the Second World War, football continued but competitions were reduced in size as many players were drafted to
3290-441: The 1944–45 season. Due to the German military collapse, information on the last season is generally limited, especially in the occupied areas. Das große Spiel ( The big game ), a movie about a fictitious German football team, Gloria 03, directed by Robert Stemmle , released in 1942. The scenes at the final were filmed at the 1941 German championship final Rapid Wien versus FC Schalke 04. German football Football
3384-527: The Austrian association was re-founded. Internationally, Germans were still represented, with Zürich -based Ivo Schricker 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 requested FIFA to lift
3478-605: The Bundesliga is crowned the German football champion . Additionally, there are national cup competitions, most notably the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) and DFL-Supercup (German Supercup). The Germany national football team has won four FIFA World Cups ( 1954 , 1974 , 1990 , 2014 ), being the joint-second most successful nation in the tournament only surpassed by Brazil . It also holds three UEFA European Championships ( 1972 , 1980 , 1996 ), behind only Spain , and won
3572-584: The Bundesliga, for the 1963–64 season. The DFB has hosted the World Cup in 1974 and 2006 . Germany also hosted the 1988 European Championship . Upon reunification in 1990, the East German Deutscher Fußball-Verband der DDR (DFV) was absorbed into the DFB. The national team won the World Cup for a second time in 1974, a third time in 1990 , and a fourth in the 2014 FIFA World Cup . Also, they were crowned European champions three times, in 1972, in 1980 and in 1996. On top,
3666-424: The DFB is the world's largest sports federation. The Germany national football team has represented Germany in international football competitions since 1908. It is controlled by the German Football Association (DFB), the governing body of football in Germany. They have won four FIFA World Cups and have been runners up on four occasions. Since the 1954 World Cup , the Germany national team has been outfitted by
3760-526: 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. 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
3854-494: The DFB, are two-time world champions, having won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2003 under past coach Tina Theune-Meyer and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup under current coach Silvia Neid . They are the first women's team to have successfully defended a World Cup. They have also won eight UEFA Women's Championships ( 1989 , 1991 , 1995 , 1997 , 2001 , 2005 , 2009 , 2013 ), which includes six consecutive titles. Germany
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3948-546: The Gauligen was part of the Gleichschaltung process, whereby the Nazis completely revamped the domestic administration. The Gauligen were largely formed along the new Gaue , designed to replace the old German states, like Prussia and Bavaria , and therefore gain better control over the country. This step came as a disappointment to many more forward thinking football officials, like the Germany national team managers Otto Nerz and Sepp Herberger , who had hoped for
4042-666: The Gauligen. The situation was different in Western Europe , where clubs from Alsace , Lorraine , and Luxembourg took part in the Gauliga system under Germanised names. Clubs with a Czech majority, while part of the German Reich , played out their own national, Bohemia/Moravia championship in this time, parallel to the German Gauliga Böhmen und Mähren , but were racially segregated. The winners of
4136-484: The German Wehrmacht . Most Gauligen split into subgroups to reduce travel, which became increasingly more difficult as the war went on. Many clubs had to merge or form Kriegsgemeinschaften (war associations) due to lack of players. The competition became increasingly flawed as the list of available players to a club fluctuated on a weekly basis, depending on who was where at a time. The last season, 1944–45,
4230-582: The German Empire, in those cases to areas around Berlin . The first championship beyond municipal areas was held in 1898 from the Verband Sueddeutscher Fussball-Vereine (Association of South German football clubs) , later affiliated with the DFB. The Germany national football team has represented Germany in international football competitions since 1908. It is controlled by the German Football Association (DFB),
4324-519: The German firm adidas . For home games, the German team wears white jerseys, black shorts and white socks in honour of the Prussian colours. Along with black both red and gold, the other two colours of the German flag, have been included in the strip over the years. Traditionally, the Germans have worn green jerseys, white shorts and green socks as their alternate uniform. In recent years, however,
4418-559: The Germans have changed their away uniform to grey in 2002–2003, black in 2004 and recently to red. The Germans wore red as their alternate colour in the 2006 World Cup . The Germany national team during the 2006 World Cup was coached by former captain Jürgen Klinsmann. Since 12 July 2006, former Assistant Coach Joachim Löw has coached the national team. Its current captain is Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer . The German women's national football team, also organised by
4512-643: The Hungarian reporter burst into tears. The game would become known as the "Das Wunder von Bern" (the "Miracle of Bern") in German lore and would be the basis for a successful movie released in 2003. The FIFA World Cup 1974 competition was held in West Germany. Led by legendary libero Franz Beckenbauer, keeper Sepp Maier , playmaker Paul Breitner , and strikers Uli Hoeneß and "Der Bomber" Gerd Müller (Germany's all-time leading scorer with 68 goals in 62 games), Germany won its second World Cup by defeating
4606-600: The Netherlands in the final, 2–1, behind goals by Breitner and Müller. The Final was famous for the battle between Kaiser Franz (Beckenbauer) and King Johann (Cruyff). The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup , was awarded. The previous trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy , was won for the third time by Brazil in 1970 and awarded permanently to the Brazilians. In
4700-413: The United States has won more combined men's and women's regional/continental championships (United States 17 in CONCACAF, Germany 11 in UEFA). Germany was the host of the FIFA World Cup in 1974 and 2006 , the UEFA European Championship in 1988 and 2024 , and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005 . They also hosted the 1989 , 1995 and 2001 editions of the UEFA European Women's Championship, as well as
4794-404: The ban on club games. FIFA did so on 7 May 1949, two weeks before the Federal Republic of Germany 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 on 21 January 1950 only by the West German regional associations, without the Saarland Football Association in
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#17327659345254888-428: The borders of the German states , with the exception of some states ( North Rhine-Westphalia , Rhineland-Palatinate , and Baden-Württemberg ) having up to three state associations covering different areas of such state. The Southern German Football Association ( German : Süddeutscher Fußball-Verband; SFV ) covers the states of Baden-Württemberg , Bavaria and Hesse . The SFV , formed on 17 October 1897 under
4982-453: The defence. The greatest success for German team in the new millennium has been their winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup . They had also finished in second place to Brazil at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan and second place at the 2008 European Championship. There was also a third place at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and in addition another third place at World Cup 2010. Germany's women have achieved even greater success, winning both
5076-478: The domestic governing body of Germany's football in Germany. Germany national football team played its first post-WWI match on 27 June 1920 in Zürich against Switzerland, which the Swiss team won 1:4. Club football was centered in the region of Franconia during the 1920s as 1. FC Nürnberg and SpVgg Fürth dominated the competition. In 1919, the proletarian Arbeiter-Turnbund was renamed Arbeiter-Turn- und Sportbund (ATSB). The name change especially reflected
5170-403: The early years of the division of Germany , West Germany claimed exclusive mandate of all of Germany. Unlike the IOC , which granted only provisional recognition to the East Germans in 1955, demanding they participate in an All-German Olympic team ( United Team of Germany ), FIFA fully recognized the East German Football Association in 1952. Winning the 1954 World Cup was a major success for
5264-450: The eighth nation. The German national team played its first game in 1908. Before 1914, the German Empire 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 , then part of Austria-Hungary , were eligible, as they were German Football clubs and thus considered German. Thus,
5358-419: 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". Direct members of the DFB are only its five regional associations and its 21 state associations, along with the German Football League , whereas the clubs participating in the German football league system are members of
5452-587: The first German version of the rules of football , although Koch's version of the game still closely resembled Rugby football . The Dresden English Football Club is considered the first modern football club in Germany and probably the first in continental Europe. It was founded in 1874 by Englishmen living and working around Dresden . In the following 20 years the game achieved a growing popularity. Football clubs were founded in Berlin , Hamburg and Stuttgart . On 28 January 1900, representatives from 86 football clubs from German-speaking areas in and outside
5546-539: The first round of the championship and cup in 1942. The German Cup competition was first played out in 1935 and ceased in 1943, only restarting again in 1953. During Nazi Germany , it was called The von Tschammer und Osten Pokal. Three of the Gauligen contained clubs from regions occupied and annexed by Germany after the start of the Second World War in 1939. The Gauliga Elsaß was completely made up of French clubs from Alsace , who had to Germanise their names, like RC Strasbourg , which became Rasen SC Straßburg . In
5640-415: The four stars above the Germany national team logo on the team's jerseys. Germany hosted the World Cups in 1974 and in 2006. The women's national team has won two FIFA Women's World Cups, commemorated by two stars above the crest on their jerseys. Germany hosted the 2011 Women's World Cup. The Wankdorf Stadion in Bern saw 60,000 people cram inside to watch the Final between West Germany and Hungary ,
5734-426: The hosting teams keep the cash from the ticket sales, this was handled differently in the Gauligen. In the regular season, in cup matches or other competitive matches, the money was shared between the German Football Association , who received 5% of the income; the hosting club; and the visiting club. In particular, the hosting club received 10% for using their ground and 5% for administrative costs. The remaining 75% of
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#17327659345255828-459: The incorporation of football into the federation, which promoted leftist political views and attempted to break the monopolisation of football under the umbrella of the DFB. With the rise of Nazism, left-leaning sporting associations such as the ATSB and Rotsport were banned. Communist sporting officials such as Ernst Grube, Reichstag deputy and head of Rotsport, were murdered in concentration camps. The DFB integrated as Fachamt Reichsfußball into
5922-443: The matchday income was shared between the two clubs. These relations changed for the play-offs for the German championship; here, the matches were usually played on neutral ground, therefore 15% of the income was allotted for renting the ground as well as administrative and travel costs for the teams, with the remaining income divided equally between the clubs and the DFB. For the semi-final and final matches, yet another distribution key
6016-448: 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 than those from any other nation; four different clubs have won a total of seven titles, with the most recent being 2015 champions 1. FFC Frankfurt . Since 2005, in memory of former German-Jewish Olympian international footballer Julius Hirsch who
6110-437: The more popular locations. FIFA World Cup UEFA European Championship Summer Olympic Games FIFA Confederations Cup FIFA Women's World Cup UEFA Women's Championship Summer Olympic Games UEFA Women's Nations League The Germany national football team has won four FIFA World Cups and have been the runners up on four other occasions. The four World Cup championships are commemorated by
6204-410: The name of Verband Süddeutscher Fußball-Vereine , originally administered the Southern German football championship , until it was dissolved by the Nazis in 1933. Reformed in the American occupation zone after the Second World War, it operated the Oberliga Süd , the regional division of the former top level German Oberliga until the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963. Since the 2012–13 season,
6298-432: The nineteenth before halftime, the tide began to turn in the Germans' favor. The second half saw misses from the Hungarian team as well as a disallowed goal from Puskás with 2 minutes left. Rahn then scored again to make the score 3–2. As he was scoring the goal, the popular German reporter Herbert Zimmermann gave the most famous German piece of commentary of all time - "Rahn schiesst - TOR!" ("Rahn shoots - GOAL!") - while
6392-404: The outbreak of the Second World War shortly after ended this debate, too. In reality, this step was not taken until 1963, when the Bundesliga was formed, for similar reason, after the disappointing performance at the 1962 FIFA World Cup . It did, however, reduce the number of clubs in top leagues in the country considerably, from roughly 600 to 170. Beginning in 1935, with the re-admittance of
6486-422: The professional Bundesliga 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. From 1875 to the mid-1880s, the first kind of football played in Germany
6580-416: The second footballer, after Mario Zagallo of Brazil, to become World Champion as a player (in 1974) and as team manager. In doing so, Beckenbauer also became the first captain of a winning team to later manage a winning squad. The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup was held in the United States (changed from China due to the SARS epidemic) and won by Germany, who defeated Sweden by 2–1 in extra time. Earlier in
6674-458: The semifinals they had disposed of the defending champions and hosts, the United States , 3–0. Germany hosted the 2006 FIFA World Cup . Thirty-two nations competed in the tournament, with matches played in a dozen cities ranging from Hamburg in the north to Munich in the south; Leipzig was the only former East city to hold matches (the matches at Berlin were held at former West Berliner territory). The opening match ( Germany vs Costa Rica )
6768-742: The shootout 5–3. Germany defeated Portugal 3–1 in the third place play off at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart on 8 July. Miroslav Klose won the Golden Boot for the highest goalscorer of the tournament with 5 goals. Lukas Podolski received the Best Young Player Award . The 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup was held in China and won by Germany, who became the first women's team to successfully defend
6862-487: The sport served their propaganda efforts. Hans von Tschammer und Osten specifically ordered that players from former workers' sports movements be integrated in the Nazi-approved clubs, as the Nazis could not afford to lose the country's best players. Upon his orders, teams were not selected by political criteria, but by performance criteria. Despite this, the number of active players and clubs declined in regions like
6956-545: 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 female members and 8,600 female teams. 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
7050-590: 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 GDR . Since the 2012–13 season and previously from 1994 to 2000, the NOFV administers the Regionalliga Nordost ,
7144-463: The title. In the opening match in Shanghai , Germany beat Argentina by a record 11–0. Nadine Angerer , the key goalkeeper, went unbeaten the entire tournament. In the final at Shanghai, Germany beat Brazil , 2–0. German Football Association The German Football Association ( German : Deutscher Fußball-Bund [ˈdɔʏtʃɐ ˈfuːsbalˌbʊnt] ; DFB [ˌdeːʔɛfˈbeː] )
7238-596: The top scorer of the tournament and setting an international record. When, in 1972, German former player and national team coach Sepp Herberger 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
7332-530: The two former internationals Gottfried Fuchs and Julius Hirsch were not as welcome. Fuchs, who had scored an incredible 10 goals versus Russia in 1912, migrated to Canada , while Hirsch was murdered in Auschwitz. The Nazis' position to football and its clubs in the occupied territories varied greatly. Local clubs in Eastern Europe , such as Polish and Czech clubs, were not permitted to compete in
7426-418: The various Gauligen qualified for the finals of the German championship, held at the end of season. From 1934 to 1938, the system was straight forward, as the 16 Gauliga champions were allocated in four groups of four teams. After a home-and-away round, the winners of the four groups played a semi-final on neutral ground. The two winners of the semi-finals went to the final to determine the German champion. In
7520-468: 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 achieved the same milestone in 2023 . They have also won eight UEFA Women's Championships , 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
7614-462: The years 1939, 1940, and 1941, the number of groups was extended to compensate for the additional Gauligen created. From 1942, the competition was played in a single-game knock-out format due to the worsening situation in the war. While FC Schalke 04 was by far the most successful club in this era, however in 1941 the title went to Austria with Rapid Wien . Also, a Luxembourgian club, Stade Dudelange (renamed FV Stadt Düdelingen), managed to reach
7708-510: Was according to rugby rules. Later, association-style football teams formed separate clubs, and since 1890, they began to organise on regional and national levels. The DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund) was founded on 28 January 1900 in Leipzig 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
7802-455: Was applied. In the semi-final, teams received 20% of the net income (that is, after rent, administrative and travel costs had been deducted), and in the final their share was reduced to 15%. While some areas took until 1947, to restart football competitions, in the south of Germany, a highest league was formed soon after the Nazi collapse. The new Oberligen took the place of the Gauligen from 1945, when six new leagues were gradually formed in what
7896-566: Was cut off from the main part by the Polish Corridor . The role of DFB and its representatives like Felix Linnemann under Nazi Germany was documented in 100 Jahre DFB and by Nils Havemann in Fußball unterm Hakenkreuz . According to Gleichschaltung 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
7990-464: 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 , with Adolf Hitler attending, the DFB and football fell from grace. Reichsjugendführer Baldur von Schirach and
8084-578: Was formed after the Second World War in the French occupation zone in Germany. Its highest league until the introduction of the Bundesliga 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 , a step 4 division in the German football league system . Additionally,
8178-611: Was held on 9 June in the Allianz Arena in Munich , with Germany defeating Costa Rica 4–2. The final match took place in Olympiastadion Berlin one month later between Italy and France . The match was drawn 1–1 at full-time and after extra time. Zinedine Zidane was controversially sent off for headbutting Italy's Marco Materazzi with 10 minutes to go before the match went into penalties. France lost to Italy in
8272-643: Was killed in Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust , the German Football Federation awards the " Julius-Hirsch-Preis " for outstanding examples of integration and tolerance within German football. In 2018, Germany was chosen to host UEFA Euro 2024 . 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
8366-926: Was left of Germany: With the rise of the Nazis to power, the German Football Association came fully under the party's influence. All sport, including football, was controlled by the Reichssportführer (Reich Sports Leader) Hans von Tschammer und Osten . In 1935, the newly established German cup, the Tschammerpokal, now the DFB-Pokal , was named after him. The Nazis prohibited all workers sports clubs (Arbeiter Sportvereine) and, increasingly so, all Jewish sport associations. Jewish clubs were immediately removed from all national football competitions in 1933 and had to play their own tournaments. From 1938, all Jewish sport clubs were forbidden outright. Additionally, clubs with strong connections to Jews were punished and fell into disfavor, like Bayern Munich , who had
8460-492: Was never completed, as large parts of Germany were already under allied occupation and the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945 ended all sports competitions, the last official match having been played on 23 April. Unlike most leagues today, where income is generated from sponsors and TV in addition to ticket sales, the Gauliga teams relied on ticket sales as the exclusive source of income. But while in today's leagues
8554-440: 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),
8648-406: Was said to play his best in rainy weather. The Final saw the legendary Ferenc Puskás playing even though he was not fully fit. Despite this he put his team ahead after only 6 minutes and, with Zoltán Czibor adding another two minutes later, it seemed destined that the pre-tournament favourites would take the title. However, with a goal from Max Morlock on the tenth minute and Helmut Rahn on
8742-614: Was staged in West Germany, and both German teams were drawn in the same group in the first round. Meeting on 22 June 1974 in a politically charged match in Hamburg, East Germany beat West Germany 1–0, on a goal by Jürgen Sparwasser . Both German teams advanced to the second round anyway. The GDR team was eliminated there, while the DFB team eventually went on to win the tournament. In the year of German reunification (1990), West Germany secured its third World Cup as West and East Germans celebrated together. The present-day Germany national team
8836-686: 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 WDFV itself is formed by the following state associations: The Northern German Football Association ( German : Norddeutscher Fußball-Verband; NFV ) covers the states of Bremen , Hamburg , Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein . The association used to administer
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