| Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaft | |
|---|---|
 Replica of theViktoria trophy | |
| Tournament details | |
| Country | Germany |
| Dates | 10 May – 14 June |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Hertha BSC 2ndGerman title |
| Runners-up | 1860 Munich |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 69 (4.6 per match) |
| Top goal scorer | Willi Kirsei(7 goals) |
The1931 German football championship, the 24th edition of the competition, was won byHertha BSC, defeatingTSV 1860 München 3–2 in the final.[1]
For Hertha it was the sixth consecutive final the club played in and the second national championship, having won the previous edition. Hertha thereby became only the second club after1. FC Nürnberg to defend its title. It marked however the end of Hertha's most successful era, with the club never again playing in another German championship final after 1931, as it did for clubs fromBerlin, as no other club from the German capital would ever reach another German championship final again. For TSV 1860 it was the only championship final the club ever played in, having to wait until theBundesliga era to win achampionship. The following season the club's rival,FC Bayern Munich, would take out the only national championship for the city ofMunich during the pre-Bundesliga era.[2][3]
Hertha'sWilli Kirsei was the top scorer of the 1931 championship with seven goals.[4]
Sixteen club qualified for the knock-out competition, two from each of the regional federations plus an additional third club from the South and West. In all cases the regional champions qualified and almost all of the runners-up, except in Central Germany where the second spot went to the regional cup winner. In the West the third spot went to the third placed team of the championship while, in the South, the third spot was determined in a separate qualifying competition for runners-up and third placed teams.[1]
The teams qualified through the regional championships:[1]
| Club | Qualified as |
| SV Prussia-Samland Königsberg | Baltic champions |
| VfB Königsberg | Baltic runners-up |
| Beuthener SuSV 09 | South Eastern German champions |
| VfB Liegnitz | South Eastern German runners-up |
| Hertha BSC | Brandenburg champion |
| Tennis Borussia Berlin | Brandenburg runners-up |
| Dresdner SC | Central German champions |
| SpVgg Leipzig | Central German cup winner |
| Hamburger SV | Northern German champions |
| Holstein Kiel | Northern German runners-up |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | Western German champions |
| VfB Bielefeld | Western German runners-up |
| Meidericher SV | Western German third placed team |
| SpVgg Fürth | Southern German champions |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | Southern German runners-up |
| TSV 1860 München | Southern German additional qualifier |
The round of 16, played between 10 and 17 May 1931:[5]
The quarter-finals, played on 17 and 24 May 1931:[5]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dresdner SC | 3–4 | Holstein Kiel |
| Hamburger SV | 2–0 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Hertha BSC | 3–1 | SpVgg Fürth |
| TSV 1860 München | 1–0 | Tennis Borussia Berlin |
The semi-finals, played on 31 May 1931:[5]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Hertha BSC | 3–2 | Hamburger SV |
| TSV 1860 München | 2–0 | Holstein Kiel |
The final, played on 14 June 1931:[5]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Hertha BSC | 3–2 | TSV 1860 München |