Football in Berlin, the capital ofGermany, has a long history. The city contributed 24 of the 86 founders of the DFB, theGerman Football Association. TheDFB Cup Final has been held every year at the Olympiastadion since 1985.
The two main football clubs inBerlin areHertha Berlin andUnion Berlin. Hertha BSC, a founder of the DFB, played in the West German system during theCold War. 1. FC Union Berlin played in the East German system.
TheOlympic Stadium hosted the later stages offootball at the 1936 Summer Olympics, with the other matches played at smaller grounds in the city. The ground was also a venue in the1974 FIFA World Cup group containing both West and East Germany. The2006 FIFA World Cup Final was held atOlympiastadion and sawItaly defeatFrance on penalties. In 2015 theUEFA Champions League Final was held in Berlin.
Open Air gatherings of several hundred thousands spectators have become popular during international football competitions, like the World Cup or theUEFA European Championship. Many fans and viewers come together to watch the matches on huge video screens. The event is known as theFan Mile and takes place at theBrandenburg Gate every two years.[1]
Hertha BSC were founded on 25 July 1892 and were afounding member of the German Football Association (DFB) in 1900. Hertha won its only two German championships in 1930 and 1931, the latter being the last DFB league title won by a Berlin club.[2] Hertha was the most successful club in theBrandenburg football championship (1892–1933), winning on 12 occasions, including seven consecutive titles between 1925 and 1931 and the last season in 1932-33 before theVBB-Oberliga was abolished by the Nazi regime.[3]
The club was a founder of the GermanBundesliga in 1963, but has never won its title. They currently play in theBundesliga following promotion after finishing champions of the2. Bundesliga in the 2012–13 season. Hertha are a tenant of theOlympic Stadium.
In1999–2000, Hertha were Berlin's first-ever representative in theUEFA Champions League, defeatingAnorthosis Famagusta of Cyprus to qualify for the First Group Stage, where they advanced at the expense of Italy'sAC Milan. In the Second Group Stage they were eliminated after finishing bottom.[4]
FC Olympia Oberschöneweide was established in 1906, from a merger of three smaller local clubs inOberschöneweide (despite a team of a similar name winning the German title the previous year,Union 92 Berlin).[5] The team were runner-up in the1923 German football championship, where they lost 0-3 in the final toHamburger SV.
AfterWorld War II the club was temporarily banned, and then re-established as SG Oberschöneweide. Located in theeastern part of Berlin, the club suffered badly from the division of the city. Due to Soviet authorities imposing a travel ban on the club, most players and coaches left forWest Berlin in 1950 to formSC Union 06 Berlin. The remaining part carried on as SG Union Oberschöneweide, which was the name of the club since 1948. Following a series of name changes and mergers, the club was re-founded as football club1. FC Union Berlin in 1966. Despite some early mild success in post-split Germany, Union were relatively unsuccessful in East Germany, frequently changing between theDDR-Oberliga and the second-tierDDR-Liga. Union won theFDGB-Pokal in 1968.
In the 1990s the club was present mostly in regional leagues (third division) and were promoted to2. Bundesliga in 2001. After three years they were relegated twice to fourth division but won, after being promoted to third division again,3. Liga in 2009 to reach 2. Bundesliga. Union reached the final of the2000–01 DFB-Pokal before losing 2–0 in the final in Berlin toSchalke 04.[6] Union were promoted to theBundesliga for the first time in their history in 2019, following a 2–2 aggregate draw in the Promotion-Relegation Playoff withVfB Stuttgart, which Union won on away goals.[7]
The club plays atStadion An der Alten Försterei, which the club and its predecessors has occupied since 1920. The stadium has a capacity of 22,012 spectators, for the most part on standing terraces. The venue became also known for events like the annual "Weihnachtssingen" (Christmas Carols Event) and the "WM-Wohnzimmer" (World Cup Living Room) in 2014.
Today, Union Berlin is well known for its enthusiastic and creative fan base, and for its chant "Eisern Union" (Iron Union).[8] The club is widely recognized as one of Germany's cult clubs, based on many unique initiatives over the last two decades.[9]
SC Dynamo Berlin was founded as asports club inEast Berlin in 1954. In order to establish a competitive team in the East German capital, the team ofSG Dynamo Dresden was delegated to East Berlin to play for SC Dynamo Berlin. SC Dynamo Berlin won the1959 FDGB-Pokal, but was overshadowed byASK Vorwärts Berlin in the 1960s. The team played its home matches at the largeWalter-Ulbricht-Stadion during the first seasons. The football department of SC Dynamo Berlin was separated from the sports club in 1966 and re-organized asfootball club BFC Dynamo.
BFC Dynamo was developed into a flagship club of sports associationSV Dynamo.[10] It had the best material conditions in the league and the best team by far.[11] BFC Dynamo won tenEast German championships in succession between 1979 and 1988.[12] It also won the FDGB-Pokal in 1988 and 1989 as well as theDFV-Supercup in 1989. BFC Dynamo is the only club in Berlin to have reached the semi-finals of the most prestigious European club competitions. The club reached the semi-finals of the1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup, before losing toDynamo Moscow in a penalty shoot-out.[13] BFC Dynamo became the first German team to defeat an English team in England in the European Cup when the team defeatedNottingham Forest underBrian Clough at theCity Ground in the quarter-finals of the1979–80 European Cup.[14]
BFC Dynamo put a lot of focus on itsyouth work.[15] Its successes during the East German era was built on an elaborate youth system.[16][17][18][19][10] The club was able to recruit young talented players from training centers (TZ) across the whole of East Germany, including numerous training centers (TZ) ofSV Dynamo.[20][21] BFC Dynamo had the youngest team in the league in the1975-76 DDR-Oberliga season with an average age of only 22,8 years.[22][23] Most of its top performers of the 1980s came through its ownyouth teams, such asAndreas Thom,Frank Rohde,Bodo Rudwaleit andRainer Ernst.[24][25][26]
BFC Dynamo was the only first division club in the whole of Berlin when theBerlin Wall opened in 1989. The club was controversial for its connection to theStasi and was re-branded FC Berlin on 19 February 1990. The club fell on hard times afterGerman reunification and suffered a near bankruptcy in 2001. The club has since recovered and managed to qualify for theRegionalliga Nordost after a successful2013–14 season.[27] The team subsequently moved back to the stadium of its heyday, theFriedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark.[28] BFC Dynamo is based in the locality ofAlt-Hohenschönhausen of the borough ofLichtenberg. TheSportforum Hohenschönhausen is considered the spiritual home of the club. BFC Dynamo has youth teams in all age groups and operates an award-winningday care project.[29]
BFC Viktoria 1889 was established in 1889 and was a founder of the DFB in 1900. The club emerged as the strongest football club in Berlin at the turn of the century, untilWorld War I, and won two German championships (1907–08 and 1910–11). It was weakened by the division of Berlin during the Cold War, as only one club from West Berlin was permitted entry to the newBundesliga in 1963, an honour given to Hertha. The club won the 1893–94 German Championship on 28 July 2007, in a two-legged final 113 years after their opponentsFC Hanau 93 decided not to travel 400 km to Berlin on the original occasion.[30]
The club announced its plans to merger withLichterfelder FC in March 2013. The new club competes under the nameFC Viktoria 1889 Berlin, and the full name of the new association isFußballclub Viktoria 1889 Berlin Lichterfelde-Tempelhof e. V. The aim of the merger was to become the third club in the ongoing evolution of Berlin football, behind Hertha BSC and 1. FC Union Berlin.[31] FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin qualified for theRegionalliga Nordost after the2012-13 season. The club then qualified for the3. Liga after a successful 2020-21 season. The club led2020-21 Regionalliga Nordost when the season ended prematurely after eleven rounds played due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The team had won all eleven matches played during the short season.[32][33]
Tennis Borussia Berlin was founded in 1902 asBerliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong-Gesellschaft Borussia taking its name from its origins as atennis andping-pong club. Borussia is aLatinised version ofPrussia and was a widely used name for sports clubs in the former state of Prussia. The club took up football in 1903 and quickly developed a rivalry with Berlin's leading sideHertha BSC.
After World War II and into the early 1950s, TeBe emerged as Berlin's top side but were unable to keep up their form and earn selection to the Germany's new professional league, theBundesliga, formed in 1963. The team played in tier II leagues throughout the 60s and 70s with the exception of two short-lived forays into the Bundesliga in1974–75 and1976–77. Most of the 1980s were spent playing in the third tierOberliga Berlin.
Through most of its historyTeBe has been afflicted by financial problems but has always managed to hang on while many other of Berlin's clubs folded or disappeared in mergers.
Finally, in 2000, the club had adopted its current name"Tennis Borussia Berlin", as the club had always been known under this moniker and to avoid being mistaken as a tennis club.
Berlin's oldestJewish football club, Bar Kochba Berlin, founded in 1898, merged with another,Hakoah Berlin in 1930 to form Bar Kochba-Hakoah. Under theNazi regime, Jewish clubs were segregated in 1933 and dissolved in 1938. Jewish clubs competed in other sports from the end of the war, but it was not until 1970 that Bar Kochba-Hakoah were revived as a football club, as a member of theMaccabi World Union which encourages Jewish sport. Now competing asTuS Makkabi Berlin in the sixth-tierBerlin-Liga, the club made headlines in Germany and the Jewish State of Israel[34] in October 2006. Despite the club's low profile and the increase in tolerance in German society, the club were subjected to anti-Semitic, Neo-Nazi chants from fans and players ofVSG Altglienicke.[35]
Türkiyemspor Berlin is another sixth-tierBerlin-Liga club, founded in 1978 and composed of Germans of Turkish descent. In 2010-11, it was relegated from the fourth-tierRegionalliga Nord. The name Turkiyemspor is used by other Turkish-centred clubs in Germany and abroad. FormerTurkish internationalÜmit Karan began his career at the club.SV Yeşilyurt, another club founded by immigrants fromİzmir andIstanbul, was founded in 1973 and wound up in 2007 when it merged withBerliner AK 07. AK, despite being founded in 1907, have merged with various Turkish-centred clubs in its history and since 2006 has been in partnership with the Turkish clubAnkaraspor, taking on their name and colours for the 2006-07 season.
FC Polonia Berlin is a football club founded by Poles living in Berlin and Germans of Polish descent. The club was founded in 2012 and refers to the heritage of thePolski Klub Sportowy Berlin (PSK Berlin). PKS Berlin was founded in 1911. The team found itself in theSoviet sector of Berlin afterWorld War II. The team played asPKS Zryw Berlin in the 1950-51 Landesliga Berlin. The club was then joined with sports communityBSG Empor Nord Berlin in 1951. BSG Empor Nord Berlin was founded asBSG Handelsorganisation Berlin (BSG HO Berlin) in 1949. BSG HO Berlin then became affiliated to the newsports association SV Empor in 1951 and renamed BSG Empor Nord Berlin. The team played as BSG Empor HO Berlin from 1974. The team reached the third tier of theEast German football league system. Polonia Berlin plays in Kreisliga C (eleventh-tier). The namePolonia is used by other Polish-centred clubs in Germany (for examplePolonia Hamburg) and abroad.
SD Croatia Berlin, of the eighth-tier BerlinBezirksliga Division 1, was founded in 1972 for the city's Croatian community. Itsfutsal club won theDFB Futsal Cup in 2010 and 2011.[36]
As of the2020–21 season.
| Club | Club founded | League | Level | Home Ground | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. FC Union Berlin | 1966[a] | Bundesliga | 1 | Stadion An der Alten Försterei | 22,012 |
| Hertha BSC | 1892 | 2.Bundesliga | 2 | Olympiastadion | 74,475 |
| BFC Dynamo | 1966[b] | Regionalliga Nordost | 4 | Stadion im Sportforum | 4,500 |
| FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin | 1889 | Regionalliga Nordost | 4 | Stadion Lichterfelde | 4,300 |
| Berliner AK 07 | 1907 | Regionalliga Nordost | 4 | Poststadion | 10,000 |
| VSG Altglienicke | 1946[c] | Regionalliga Nordost | 4 | Stadion auf dem Wurfplatz[d] | 5,400 |
| SV Lichtenberg 47 | 1947 | Regionalliga Nordost | 4 | Hans-Zoschke-Stadion | 10,000 |
| Tennis Borussia Berlin | 1902 | Regionalliga Nordost | 4 | Mommsenstadion | 11,500 |
| SpVg Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin | 1992[e] | NOFV-Oberliga Nord | 5 | Sportplatz an der Rathausstraße (Union-Platz) | 3,000 |
| SV Tasmania Berlin | 1973[f] | NOFV-Oberliga Nord | 5 | Sportpark Neukölln | 3,500 |
| FC Hertha 03 Zehlendorf | 1903 | NOFV-Oberliga Nord | 5 | Ernst-Reuter-Sportanlage | 4,000 |
| CFC Hertha 06 | 1903 | NOFV-Oberliga Nord | 5 | Sportplatz Sömmeringstraße | 3,000 |
| SC Staaken | 1919 | NOFV-Oberliga Nord | 5 | Sportpark Staaken | 1,500 |
| SFC Stern 1900 | 1900 | NOFV-Oberliga Nord | 5 | Sportplatz Schildhornstraße | 1,000 |
| SV Sparta Lichtenberg | 1911 | Berlin-Liga | 6 | Sportplatz Fischerstraße | 1,000 |
| Berliner Sport-Club | 1892 | Berlin-Liga | 6 | Hubertussportplatz | 3,000 |
| SC Charlottenburg | 1898 | Berlin-Liga | 6 | Mommsenstadion | 15,005 |
| TuS Makkabi Berlin | 1970[g] | Berlin-Liga | 6 | Julius-Hirsch-Sportanlage | 1,000 |
| SV Empor Berlin | 1949 | Berlin-Liga | 6 | Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark | 19,708 |
| SD Croatia Berlin | 1972 | Berlin-Liga | 6 | Friedrich-Ebert-Stadion | 4,500 |
| Türkiyemspor Berlin | 1978 | Berlin-Liga | 6 | Willy-Kressmann-Stadion | 5,000 |
| BSV Al-Dersimspor | 1993 | Berlin-Liga | 6 | Laskersportplatz | 2,000 |
| FC Brandenburg 03 | 1903 | Berlin-Liga | 6 | Sportplatz Sömmeringstraße | 3,000 |
| Berlin Türkspor | 1965 | Berlin-Liga | 6 | Sportplatz Heckerdamm | - |
| BFC Preussen | 1894 | Landesliga, Staffel 1 | 7 | Preussen-Stadion Malteserstraße | 3,000 |
| FSV Berolina Stralau | 1901 | Landesliga, Staffel 1 | 7 | Lasker-Sportplatz | 4,000 |
| TSV Mariendorf 1897 | 1897 | Landesliga, Staffel 1 | 7 | Volkspark Mariendorf | 10,000 |
| Spandauer SC Teutonia 99 | 1899 | Landesliga, Staffel 1 | 7 | Stadion Hakenfelde | 1,500 |
| FC Spandau 06 | 2003[h] | Landesliga, Staffel 2 | 7 | Stadion am Ziegelhof (Sportplatz Ziegelhof) | 3,000 |
| BFC Meteor 06 | 1906 | Landesliga, Staffel 2 | 7 | Hanne-Sobek-Sportanlage | 3,000 |
| 1. FC Lübars 1962 | 1962 | Landesliga, Staffel 2 | 7 | Sportplatz Schluchseestraße | 500 |
| SV Stern Britz 1889 | 1889 | Landesliga, Staffel 2 | 7 | Stadion am Buckower Damm | 5,000 |
| Berliner SV 1892 | 1892 | Bezirksliga, Staffel 1 | 8 | Stadion-Wilmersdorf | 2,500 |
| NSF Gropiusstadt | 1907 | Bezirksliga, Staffel 1 | 8 | Silbersteinsportplatz | - |
| SV Blau-Weiß Hohen Neuendorf | 1920 | Bezirksliga, Staffel 2 | 8 | Sportplatz Niederheide | 2,000 |
| FK Srbija Berlin | 2008 | Bezirksliga, Staffel 2 | 8 | Stadion Neuendorfer Straße | 2,500 |
| BSC Marzahn | 1985 | Bezirksliga, Staffel 3 | 8 | Sportanlage Schönagelstraße | 1,000 |
| SC Union 06 Berlin | 1950[i] | Bezirksliga, Staffel 3 | 8 | Poststadion | 10,000 |
| FV Wannsee | 1896 | Kreisliga A, Staffel 2 | 9 | Stadion Wannsee | 5,000 |
| SV Nord Wedding 1893 | 1893 | Kreisliga A, Staffel 1 | 9 | Sportanlage Kühnemannstraße (Werner-Kluge-Sportplatz) | 2,000 |
| BSC Kickers 1900 | 1900 | Kreisliga A, Staffel 3 | 8 | Sportplatz Monumentenstraße | 2,000 |
| Friedrichshagener SV 1912 | 1912 | Kreisliga A, Staffel 3 | 9 | Sportanlage Friedrichshagen (Sportplatz am Wasserwerk) | 2,500 |
| Berliner TSC | 1963[j] | Kreisliga A, Staffel 4 | 9 | Sportanlage Paul-Heyse-Straße (Sportplatz Paul-Heyse-Straße) | - |
| FC Polonia Berlin | 2012 | Kreisliga A, Staffel 4 | 9 | Polonia Park (Sportplatz Ollenhauerstraße) | - |
| Berliner FC Alemannia 1890 | 1890 | Kreisliga B, Staffel 4 | 10 | Sportanlage Kienhorstpark | 7,000 |
| SC Minerva 93 | 1893 | Kreisliga B, Staffel 6 | 10 | Chausseestraße | 5,000 |
| BFC Germania 1888 | 1888 | Kreisliga B, Staffel 5 | 10 | Sportplatz an der Götzstraße | 1,000 |
As of the2020–21 season.
| Club | Women's team formed | League | Level | Home Ground | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. FC Union Berlin | 1990 | Frauen-Regionalliga Nordost, Staffel Nord | 3 | Fritz-Lesch-Sportanlage | 3,000 |
| FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin | 1975[a] | Frauen-Regionalliga Nordost, Staffel Nord | 3 | Stadion Lichterfelde | 4,300 |
| SV Blau-Weiß Hohen Neuendorf | 2001 | Frauen-Regionalliga Nordost, Staffel Nord | 3 | Sportplatz Niederheide | 2,000 |
| SFC Stern 1900 | 2003 | Frauen-Regionalliga Nordost, Staffel Nord | 3 | Sportplatz Schildhornstraße | 300 |
| Türkiyemspor Berlin | 2009 | Frauen-Regionalliga Nordost, Staffel Nord | 3 | Willi-Kressmann-Stadion | 5,000 |
| SC Staaken | 2003 | Frauen Berlin-Liga | 4 | Sportpark Staaken | 1,500 |
| SV Lichtenberg 47 | 1971 | Frauen Berlin-Liga | 4 | Sportplatz Bornitzstraße | - |
| SpVg Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin | 2008 | Frauen Berlin-Liga | 4 | Sportplatz an der Rathausstraße (Union-Platz) | 3,000 |
| FC Hertha 03 Zehlendorf | 2001 | Frauen Berlin-Liga | 4 | Ernst-Reuter-Sportfeld | 4,500 |
As of the2022–23 Bundesliga season
| Club | Seasons |
|---|---|
| Hertha BSC | 1963–64~1964–65,1968–69~1979–80,1982–83,1990–91,1997–98~2009–10 2011–12,2013–14~2022–23 |
| Tennis Borussia Berlin | 1974–75,1976–77 |
| Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin | 1986–87 |
| Union Berlin | 2019–20~present |
The first Berlin derby in theBundesliga took place betweenHertha BSC andTennis Borussia Berlin at theOlympiastadion on 16 November 1974.[39][40]
Currently, the main Berlin derby is betweenHertha BSC and1. FC Union Berlin. In the2019–20 Bundesliga,Hertha BSC and1. FC Union Berlin disputed the first Bundesliga meeting between the two teams, occurred on 3 November 2019.[40][41]
Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin saw group games and quarter-finals held at three venues in the capital: thePoststadion, theMommsenstadion and theStadion am Gesundbrunnen (home to Hertha between 1924 and 1974). All games after the quarter-finals were held at theOlympic Stadium, andItaly beatAustria 2-1 in the final on 15 August.[42]
Group A at the1974 FIFA World Cup featured three matches at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, all involvingChile, against West Germany, East Germany and Australia. West Germany won 1-0, although the other matches were draws. The infamous match between the two German teams, however, was played inHamburg.
The2006 FIFA World Cup Final was held on 9 July 2006 at Berlin'sOlympiastadion to determine the winner of the2006 FIFA World Cup.Italy beatFrance in a shootout after the match finished 1–1 after extra time. France'sZinedine Zidane was sent off in his last-ever match, for headbutting Italy'sMarco Materazzi's chest in retaliation to verbal insults.
According to FIFA, 715.1 million individuals globally watched the final match of this tournament.[43]IPG's independent media agency Initiative Worldwide estimated a 260 million people viewership.[44] The independent firm Initiative Futures Sport + Entertainment estimates it at 322 million viewers.[45]
In May 2013, the Olympiastadion was chosen as the venue for the2015 UEFA Champions League Final.[46] In July 2014, it was announced that Berlin would also be the host for the2015 UEFA Women's Champions League Final. The women's final was played at theFriedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark.[47]
The 2015 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the2014–15 UEFA Champions League, the 60th season of Europe's premier clubfootball tournament organised byUEFA, and the 23rd season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to theUEFA Champions League. It was played on 6 June 2015,[48] between Italian sideJuventus and Spanish sideBarcelona. Barcelona were the winners, beating Juventus 3–1 to gain their fifth trophy in the competition.[49][50]
The2015 UEFA Women's Champions League Final was played on 14 May 2015.[51] Unlike recent years in which the Women's Champions League final was held in the same week as the men's Champions League final, the two finals were separated by almost a month.[52] German side1. FFC Frankfurt defeated French sideParis 2–1 in the final to win a record fourth title.[53]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)1980 gewinnt der BFC mit 1:0 bei Nottingham Forest. Es ist der erste deutsche Sieg in England in diesem Wettbewerb.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)The final Italy – France [had] a global cumulative audience of 715.1 million viewers.
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