Bayern Munich remains the central reference point in German football history, with a Bundesliga record far beyond Borussia Dortmund and the country’s other title-winning clubs.
Key takeaways
- Borussia Dortmund is Bayern’s nearest Bundesliga challenger, helped by Jürgen Klopp’s two league titles.
- Borussia Mönchengladbach built its reputation in the late 1960s and 1970s, including three straight championships from 1974 to 1977.
- Werder Bremen’s defining modern season was 2003/04, when Thomas Schaaf’s side won both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal.
- Hamburg, Stuttgart, Cologne, Kaiserslautern, 1860 Munich, Wolfsburg, Eintracht Braunschweig and Nuremberg have also won the German title.
- The German Football Association was formed in Leipzig on 28 January 1900.
Champions, eras and established names
Bayern have set the standard in the Bundesliga and in the wider history of the German championship. Dortmund sit behind them, with their strongest recent spell coming under Klopp.
Gladbach were one of the defining teams of the 1970s. Their three-title run between 1974 and 1977 followed two earlier consecutive championships from 1969 to 1971.
Werder’s title story is closely tied to Schaaf and striker Ailton. Their attacking side completed the league-and-cup double in 2003/04, still the club’s standout campaign.
Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt are among the other prominent names in the modern Bundesliga landscape. The historical winners’ roll also includes Hamburg, VfB Stuttgart, FC Cologne, Kaiserslautern, 1860 Munich, VfL Wolfsburg, Eintracht Braunschweig and FC Nuremberg.
Before the Bundesliga
German football developed long before the national league was created. Dresden English Football Club, founded by British players in 1874, is regarded as the country’s first club. Hertha Berlin, Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen were among the early German sides.
The DFB was established in Leipzig in 1900. Two world wars disrupted the development of a stable nationwide championship, before the Bundesliga was formed in 1962. Germany’s domestic pyramid later included the Oberligen, Zweite Bundesliga and Dritte Bundesliga.
The DFB also introduced the German Cup two years before West Germany won the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. The competition is now known as the DFB-Pokal.
SEO Title: Bundesliga history notebook: Bayern, Dortmund and Germany’s title winners
SEO Description: A concise look at Bayern Munich’s dominance, Dortmund and Gladbach’s title eras, Werder Bremen’s 2004 double and the early development of German football.
