80-485: Herbstmeister or Autumnmeister is a name for a person or team which stands at first place after the first half of the season. This is usually the leader of the highest league. A requirement however, is that the season continues until the summer of the following year. In the case where the first competition day of the second season half takes place before the winter break, the additional name of Wintermeister (winter champion) or Winterkönig (winter king) may be chosen for
160-481: 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,
240-637: 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
320-743: 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
400-592: 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
480-482: A comparison of leading Bundesliga and Premiership clubs, Bayern Munich received 55% of its revenue from company sponsorship deals, while Manchester United got 37%. Bundesliga clubs are required to be majority-owned by German club members (known as the 50+1 rule [ de ] to discourage control by a single entity) and operate under tight restrictions on the use of debt for acquisitions (a team only receives an operating licence if it has solid financials); as
560-498: A net loss of €30.4 million in 2009 financial year. Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA, made a net loss of just €2.9 million in 2008–09 season. Based on its per-game average, the Bundesliga is the best-attended association football league in the world; out of all sports, its average of 39,512 spectators per game during the 2023–24 season is the second highest of any professional sports league worldwide, behind only
640-413: A result 11 of the 18 clubs were profitable after the 2008–09 season. By contrast, in the other major European leagues numerous high-profile teams have come under ownership of foreign billionaires and a significant number of clubs have high levels of debt. Exceptions to the 50+1 rule allow Bayer Leverkusen , TSG 1899 Hoffenheim , and VfL Wolfsburg to be owned by corporations or individual investors. In
720-570: 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
800-701: 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
880-603: A subsidiary of the Deutsche Fußball Liga . The Bundesliga broadcast rights are sold along with the broadcast rights to the relegation playoffs, 2. Bundesliga and DFL-Supercup . From 2017 to 2018 to 2018–19, Bundesliga matches were broadcast on TV in Germany on Sky Deutschland and Eurosport. Prior to the 2019–20 season, Eurosport sublicensed its broadcast rights to sports streaming service DAZN , which will broadcast games previously allocated to Eurosport until
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#1732780404986960-514: A victory was worth two points, with one point for a draw and none for a loss. Since the 1995–96 season, a victory has been worth three points, while a draw remains worth a single point, and zero points are given for a loss. The club with the most points at the end of the season becomes the German champion. Currently, the top four clubs in the table qualify automatically for the group phase of the UEFA Champions League . The two teams at
1040-535: Is a professional football league in Germany located at the top of the German football league system . The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga . Seasons run from August to May. Games are played on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with a focus on Saturdays. All of the Bundesliga clubs take part in the DFB-Pokal cup competition. The winner of
1120-455: Is composed of two divisions: the 1. Bundesliga (although it is rarely referred to with the First prefix), and, below that, the 2. Bundesliga (2nd Bundesliga), which has been the second tier of German football since 1974 . The Bundesligen (plural) are professional leagues. Since 2008, the 3. Liga (3rd League) in Germany has also been a professional league, but may not be called Bundesliga because
1200-478: Is no threat of insolvency do they give approval. The DFB have a system of fines and points deductions for clubs who flout rules, and those who go into the red can only buy a player after selling one for at least the same amount. In addition, no individual is allowed to own more than 49 per cent of any Bundesliga club, the only exceptions being VfL Wolfsburg , Bayer Leverkusen and current Regionalliga Nordost member FC Carl Zeiss Jena should they ever be promoted to
1280-418: Is not in the clubs' culture so much [to raise prices]. They are very fan orientated". Uli Hoeneß , president of Bayern Munich, was quoted as saying "We do not think the fans are like cows to be milked. Football has got to be for everybody." The spectator figures for league for the last ten seasons: The Bundesliga TV, radio, internet, and mobile broadcast rights are distributed by DFL Sports Enterprises,
1360-881: Is one of the top national leagues, ranked fourth in Europe according to UEFA 's league coefficient ranking for the current 2024–25 season, based on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons. The Bundesliga led the UEFA ranking from 1976 to 1984 and in 1990 . It has also produced the continent's top-rated club seven times. Bundesliga clubs have won eight UEFA Champions League , seven UEFA Europa League , four European Cup Winners' Cup , two UEFA Super Cup , two FIFA Club World Cup , and three Intercontinental Cup titles. Its players have accumulated nine Ballon d'Or awards, two The Best FIFA Men's Player awards, five European Golden Shoe , and three UEFA Men's Player of
1440-488: 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
1520-458: The 2024–25 season , marked the first time Bundesliga returned to Taiwanese television since the 2020–21 season. In 2015, digital TV operator StarTimes acquired exclusive television rights for Sub-Saharan Africa for five years starting from 2015 to 2016 season. German Football Association The German Football Association ( German : Deutscher Fußball-Bund [ˈdɔʏtʃɐ ˈfuːsbalˌbʊnt] ; DFB [ˌdeːʔɛfˈbeː] )
1600-669: 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
1680-653: 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
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#17327804049861760-721: 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
1840-583: 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,
1920-477: 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,
2000-572: The National Football League of the United States. Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund has the highest average attendance of any football club in the world. Out of Europe's five major football leagues ( Premier League , La Liga , Ligue 1 , and Serie A ), the Bundesliga has the lowest ticket prices and the highest average attendance. Many club stadia have large terraced areas for standing fans (by comparison, stadia in
2080-737: 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
2160-456: The Oberligen differ between the local areas. The league structure has changed frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 1990s, changes were driven by the reunification of Germany and the subsequent integration of the national league of East Germany. Every team in the two Bundesligen must have a licence to play in
2240-679: 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
2320-485: The 2000s, the Bundesliga was regarded as competitive, as five teams won the league title. This contrasted with the English Premier League , then dominated by a "Big Four" (Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal), as well as France's Ligue 1 , won seven consecutive years by Lyon . Since then, however, a resurgent Bayern Munich has won each year from 2013 to 2023. For a number of years,
2400-442: The 2019–20 season were broadcast on ZDF. Radio coverage includes the national Konferenz (whip-around coverage) on the stations of ARD and full match coverage on local radio stations. The Bundesliga is broadcast on TV in over 200 countries. ESPN has held rights in the United States since the beginning of the 2020–21 season. 4 matches per season are reserved for linear television with the rest appearing on ESPN+ . In Canada,
2480-527: 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
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2560-580: The Bundesliga is broadcast live on DAZN . In the United Kingdom and in Ireland, the Bundesliga is broadcast live on Sky Sports . In Spain, the Bundesliga is broadcast live on Movistar+ . In Indonesia, Bundesliga is aired on Vision+ , RCTI , and even iNews in the 2024–25 season only while it was currently unavailable on beIN Sports Asia in the country since the previous season . Taiwan's ELTA TV are expecting to aired Bundesliga for
2640-521: The Bundesliga qualifies for the DFL-Supercup . Fifty-eight clubs have competed in the Bundesliga since its founding. Bayern Munich has won 32 of 61 titles, as well as eleven consecutive seasons between 2013 and 2023, which is a record for a Big Five league . The Bundesliga has also seen other champions, with Borussia Dortmund , Hamburger SV , Werder Bremen , Borussia Mönchengladbach , and VfB Stuttgart most prominent among them. The Bundesliga
2720-434: The Bundesliga since its foundation; on 12 May 2018, Hamburger SV was the last founding club to be relegated for the first time. In the 2008–09 season, the Bundesliga reinstated an earlier German system of promotion and relegation, which had been in use from 1981 until 1991: From 1992 until 2008, a different system was used, in which the bottom three finishers of the Bundesliga were automatically relegated, to be replaced by
2800-633: The Bundesliga was created in Dortmund at the Westfalenhallen on 28 July 1962 to begin play starting with the 1963–64 season . At the time, there were five Oberligen (premier leagues) in place representing West Germany's North, South, West, Southwest, and Berlin. East Germany, behind the Iron Curtain, maintained its separate league structure. 46 clubs applied for admission to the new league. 16 teams were selected based on their success on
2880-577: The Bundesliga, as they were each founded as factory teams. Despite the good economic governance, there have still been some instances of clubs getting into difficulties. In 2004, Borussia Dortmund reported a debt of €118.8 million (£83 million). Having won the Champions League in 1997 and a number of Bundesliga titles, Dortmund had gambled on maintaining their success with an expensive group of largely foreign players but failed, narrowly escaping liquidation in 2006. In subsequent years,
2960-584: 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,
3040-526: 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
3120-548: The English Premier League are all-seaters due to the Taylor Report ). Teams limit the number of season tickets to ensure everyone has a chance to see the games live, and the away club has the right to 10% of the available capacity. Match tickets often double as free rail passes which encourages supporters to travel and celebrate in a relaxed atmosphere. According to Bundesliga chief executive Christian Seifert , tickets are inexpensive (especially for standing room ) as "It
3200-587: The Year awards including UEFA Club Footballer of the Year . The Bundesliga is the number one association football league in the world in terms of anerage attendance, with an average of 39,512 spectators per game as of the 2023-24 season making it the second-highest attendance of any sports league in the world after the American National Football League . The Bundesliga is broadcast on television in over 200 countries. The Bundesliga
3280-411: The aim of developing local talent for the club and the national team. As of 2010 the Bundesliga and second Bundesliga spend €75m a year on these youth academies, which train five thousand players aged 12–18. This increased the percentage of under-23-year-olds in the Bundesliga from 6% in 2000 to 15% in 2010. This in turn allows more money to be spent on the smaller number of players that are bought. In
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3360-669: 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
3440-428: 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
3520-424: The bottom of the table are relegated into the 2. Bundesliga, while the top two teams in the 2. Bundesliga are promoted. The 16th-placed team (third-last) in the 1. Bundesliga and the third-placed team in the 2. Bundesliga play a two-leg play-off match. The winner of this match plays the next season in the 1. Bundesliga, and the losing side in the 2. Bundesliga. If teams are level on points, tie-breakers are applied in
3600-498: The cases of Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, the clubs were founded by major corporations (respectively Bayer AG and Volkswagen ) as sports clubs for their employees, while Hoffenheim has long received its primary support from SAP co-founder Dietmar Hopp , who played in the club's youth system. After 2000 the German Football Association and the Bundesliga required every club to run a youth academy with
3680-593: The central league concept was national team head coach Sepp Herberger who said, "If we want to remain competitive internationally, we have to raise our expectations at the national level." Meanwhile, in East Germany, a separate league was established with the formation of the DS-Oberliga (Deutscher Sportausschuss Oberliga) in 1950. The league was renamed the Football Oberliga DFV in 1958 and
3760-427: The club went through extensive restructuring to return to financial health, largely with young home-grown players. In 2004 Hertha BSC reported debts of £24.7 million and were able to continue in the Bundesliga only after proving they had long term credit with their bank. The leading German club Bayern Munich made a net profit of just €2.5 million in 2008–09 season (group accounts), while Schalke 04 made
3840-634: The clubs in the Bundesliga have been subject to regulations not unlike the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations agreed upon in September 2009. At the end of each season, clubs in the Bundesliga must apply to the German Football Federation (DFB) for a licence to participate again the following year; only when the DFB, who have access to all transfer documents and accounts, are satisfied that there
3920-458: The conclusion of the 2020–21 season. Three Friday night matches – the openers of the first and second halves of the season, and on the final matchday before the winter break – are broadcast to all Germans on Sat. 1 . Starting with the 2018–19 season, Sky began arranging simulcasts of high-profile Saturday games on free TV to promote its coverage of the league. The April 2019 Revierderby was broadcast on Das Erste , and two additional games during
4000-433: The duration of the game. The number of German clubs which may participate in UEFA competitions is determined by UEFA coefficients , which takes into account the results of a particular nation's clubs in UEFA competitions over the preceding five years. In the 2009–10 season the Bundesliga's turnover was €1.7bn, broken down into match-day revenue (€424m), sponsorship receipts (€573m) and broadcast income (€594m). That year it
4080-599: 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
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#17327804049864160-566: 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,
4240-419: 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
4320-483: The field, economic criteria and representation of the various Oberligen. The first Bundesliga games were played on 24 August 1963. Early favorite 1. FC Köln was the first Bundesliga champion with second place clubs Meidericher SV and Eintracht Frankfurt. Following German reunification in 1990, the East German leagues were merged into the West German system. Dynamo Dresden and FC Hansa Rostock were seeded into
4400-414: The first match day. Defending champions have not lost the opening matches since then, winning 16 of the 21 matches (up to the 2022-23 season). Starting with the 2021–22 season, kick off times were changed with Friday matches starting at 8:30 pm, Saturdays at 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm, and Sundays at 3:30 pm, 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Before the formation of the Bundesliga, German football
4480-419: The following order: If two clubs are still tied after all of these tie-breakers have been applied, a single match is held at a neutral site to determine the placement. However, this has never been necessary in the history of the Bundesliga. In terms of team selection, matchday squads must have no more than five non-EU representatives. Nine substitutes are permitted to be selected, from which five can be used in
4560-692: The league is run by the German Football Association (DFB) and not, as are the two Bundesligen, by the German Football League (DFL). Below the level of the 3. Liga, leagues are generally subdivided on a regional basis. For example, the Regionalligen are currently made up of Nord (North), Nordost (Northeast), Süd (South), Südwest (Southwest) and West divisions. Below this are thirteen parallel divisions, most of which are called Oberligen (upper leagues) which represent federal states or large urban and geographical areas. The levels below
4640-542: The league, or else they are relegated into the regional leagues. To obtain a licence, teams must be financially healthy and meet certain standards of conduct as organisations. As in other national leagues, there are significant benefits to being in the top division: The 1. Bundesliga is financially strong, and the 2. Bundesliga has begun to evolve in a similar direction, becoming more stable organizationally and financially, and reflecting an increasingly higher standard of professional play. No clubs have played continuously in
4720-506: 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
4800-766: 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,
4880-422: 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
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#17327804049864960-545: 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
5040-590: 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 ,
5120-604: The team or person in the champion position. In the German Bundesliga , about 67% of the Herbstmeister proceed to become champion of that season. Bundesliga The Bundesliga ( German: [ˈbʊndəsˌliːɡa] ; lit. ' Federal League ' ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga ( [ˌfuːsbal-] ) or 1. Bundesliga ( [ˌeːɐ̯stə-] ),
5200-439: 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
5280-487: The top three finishers in the 2. Bundesliga. From 1963 until 1981 two, or later three, teams were relegated from the Bundesliga automatically, while promotion was decided either completely or partially in promotion play-offs . The season starts in early August and lasts until late May, with a winter break of six weeks (mid-December through to the end of January). Starting with the 2002-03 season, opening matches were introduced to feature defending champions on Friday nights on
5360-442: The top-tier Bundesliga division ahead of the 1991–92 Bundesliga , with other clubs being sorted into lower tiers. Gazprom became a major sponsor of Bundesliga football in 2006, with Gerhard Schröder 's climb to the top of the company. The German football champion is decided strictly by play in the Bundesliga. Each club plays every other club once at home and once away, which makes a total of 34 matchdays per season. Originally,
5440-419: 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
5520-493: Was VfB Leipzig , who beat DFC Prague 7–2 in a game played at Altona on 31 May 1903. Through the 1950s, there were continued calls for the formation of a central professional league, especially as professional leagues in other countries began to draw Germany's best players away from the semi-professional domestic leagues. At the international level, the German game began to falter as German teams often fared poorly against professional teams from other countries. A key supporter of
5600-510: 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
5680-448: 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
5760-464: 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
5840-514: 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,
5920-479: Was founded in 1962 in Dortmund and the first season started in 1963–64. The structure and organisation of the Bundesliga, along with Germany's other football leagues, have undergone frequent changes. The Bundesliga was founded by the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (English: German Football Association), but is now operated by the Deutsche Fußball Liga (English: German Football League). The Bundesliga
6000-519: Was generally referred to simply as the DDR-Liga or DDR-Oberliga. The league fielded 14 teams with two relegation spots. [REDACTED] The defeat of the national team by Yugoslavia (0–1) in a 1962 World Cup quarter-final game in Chile was one impetus (of many) towards the formation of a national league. At the annual DFB convention under new DFB president Hermann Gösmann (elected that very day)
6080-643: 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
6160-440: 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),
6240-648: Was played at an amateur level in a large number of sub-regional leagues until, in 1949, part-time (semi-) professionalism was introduced and only five regional Oberligen (Premier Leagues) remained. Regional champions and runners-up played a series of playoff matches for the right to compete in a final game for the national championship. On 28 January 1900, a national association, the Deutscher Fußball Bund (DFB) had been founded in Leipzig with 86 member clubs. The first recognized national championship team
6320-686: 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
6400-444: Was the only European football league where clubs collectively made a profit. Bundesliga clubs paid less than 50% of revenue in players' wages, the lowest percentage out of the European leagues. The Bundesliga has the lowest ticket prices and the highest average attendance among Europe's five major leagues . Bundesliga clubs tend to form close associations with local firms, several of which have since grown into big global companies; in
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