Bundesliga title winners: Who has been crowned German champions?
Bayern Munich have been the dominant force since the turn of the century, but who else has tasted success as German champions? bundesliga.com fills you in on all the title winners…
As German football moved towards the professional era, a streamlined, nationwide top flight of 16 teams known as the Bundesliga was introduced in time for the 1963/64 campaign.
Timo Konietzka of Borussia Dortmund got the league's first goal - in the very first minute against Werder Bremen on August 24 1963 - but Uwe Seeler of Hamburg hit 30 overall to outscore him by 10 and finishing top of the scoring chart.
Cologne were crowned champions, though, in that inaugural season - losing just two of their matches to finish six points clear of Meidericher SV - today's MSV Duisburg - and Eintracht Frankfurt.
But who has followed since then? bundesliga.com lists the winners…
Bayern Munich (30 Bundesliga titles): With young stars like Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller to call on, Bayern finished top of the Bundesliga for the first time in 1968/69. They won four league titles between 1971 and 1980 - to go with a hat-trick of European Cup triumphs - and also lifted the Meisterschale three years running in the mid 1980s.
Since then, the Bavarians have rarely been out of the title picture. Their current run of nine consecutive league titles began in 2012/13, when Bundesliga legends Philipp Lahm, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were to the fore. Germany stars Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller were present throughout, while the incredible goalscoring feats of Robert Lewandowski have got them over the line more recently. The five stars on Bayern's jerseys are to signify that they have reached 30 titles, while they have also finished as runners-up on 10 occasions.
Watch: Bayern's 2020/21 title-winning farewell to three club legends
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Borussia Dortmund (5): Dortmund were German champions three times before the formation of the Bundesliga, but they had to wait until 1994/95 for their first league success of the modern era. With players like 1990 FIFA World Cup winner Andreas Möller and classy sweeper Matthias Sammer crucial, Ottmar Hitzfeld's team pipped Werder Bremen to the crown. Captain Michael Zorc got 15 goals that year, and the future long-serving director of the club matched that tally the following season as BVB retained their title. Karl-Heinz Riedle was part of that squad too - helping the club become European champions in 1997 to boot - while robust defender Jürgen Kohler was still around to help them to the 2001/02 title. Then came back-to-back successes under Jürgen Klopp in 2010/11 and 2011/12, when an exciting side filled with young talents like Mats Hummels, Mario Götze and Lewandowski took on all comers. Dortmund have also been second best seven times.
Watch: Klopp & Co. reflect on the glory years
Borussia Mönchengladbach (5): All of Gladbach's championships came during a golden period between 1969 and 1977, when they were at the centre of some epic battles with Bayern. Legendary midfielder Günter Netzer was around for the first success, while the likes of defender Berti Vogts and forward and future Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes were cornerstones of a squad that won three consecutive titles between 1974 and 1977. Gladbach also finished second in 1974 and 1978.
Werder Bremen (4): Werder were crowned champions of Germany for the first time in 1964/65, before going on to finish first again in 1987/88, 1992/93 and 2003/04. Wily head coach Otto Rehhagel - who later guided Greece to Euro 2004 glory - must take much of the credit for the middle two titles, though the goals of Riedle and then Wynton Rufer certainly helped, too. Thomas Schaaf was in charge for the most recent one, when Brazilian striker Ailton fired in 28 goals while being ably supported by Ivan Klasnic and French playmaker Johan Micoud in a double-winning campaign. The Green-Whites will feel they could have even more trophies in the cabinet, too, having finished runners-up on seven occasions.
Hamburg (3): European champions in 1982/83, Hamburg claimed Bundesliga titles in 1978/79, 1981/82 and 1982/83. They edged VfB Stuttgart by a point for the first of them, with former Liverpool and England forward Kevin Keegan their leading goalscorer with 17. Midfielder Felix Magath was influential in all three, as was burly striker Horst Hrubesch, who got 27 goals to top the scoring chart in 1981/82 and added 18 the following year as captain. The Red Shorts were runners-up five times, most recently in 1986/87.
VfB Stuttgart (3): Stuttgart's title wins all came in dramatic circumstances. In 1983/84 they finished level on points with Hamburg and Gladbach, with the Swabians losing 1-0 in Hamburg but avoiding a 5-0 defeat that would have seen the Meisterschale go north. Stuttgart, Dortmund and Eintracht were all level on points ahead of the final day in 1992/93, with the latter eventually slipping to defeat at Hansa Rostock. That allowed Christoph Daum's Stuttgart to take the title from Dortmund on goal difference, thanks to a late strike from defender and club captain Guido Buchwald. Schalke's defeat at local rivals Dortmund on the penultimate day in 2006/07, meanwhile, allowed Stuttgart - led by 14 goals from Mario Gomez - to claim their third championship. They also placed second in 1978/79 and 2002/03.
Cologne (2): Karl-Heinz Thielen and Christian Müller combined for 31 goals to fire Cologne to success in the first ever Bundesliga campaign, and in 1977/78 they just about beat Gladbach to the crown. Remarkably, Gladbach thumped Dortmund 12-0 on the final day, but the Billy Goats - even without 24-goal Dieter Müller getting on the scoresheet - put five past St. Pauli to stay top on goal difference.
Kaiserslautern (2): Kaiserslautern finished top of the pile in 1990/91 - the last Bundesliga season to feature only West German clubs. Stefan Kuntz, Bruno Labbadia and Demir Hotic led the scoring as the Red Devils finished three points ahead of Bayern. In 1997/98, they achieved something even more remarkable, becoming the only team to date to become German champions the year after earning promotion. Rehhagel masterminded that success after a short stint at Bayern. A young Michael Ballack played his part, while Olaf Marschall scored 21 times as they won the title from Bayern with a game to spare. Kaiserslautern were also runners-up in 1993/94.
Wolfsburg (1): Promoted to the Bundesliga in 1997, Wolfsburg earned their maiden title under ex-Hamburg star Magath. Magath's previous coaching role was at Bayern, and his side got the better of his former club thanks to a league-high 28 goals from Brazilian striker Grafite, as well as 26 from Edin Dzeko. Both players got two goals each as the Wolves mauled Bayern 5-1 on Matchday 26, before eventually claiming the crown by two points. The closest Wolfsburg have come since then is 2014/15, when - inspired by 20 assists from Kevin De Bruyne - they finished 10 points behind Bayern.
Watch: Wolfsburg stun Bayern en route to title
1860 Munich (1): 1860 claimed the title in 1965/66, the season that Bayern made their debut in the Bundesliga. With ex-Dortmund man Konietzka getting 26 goals, they were three points better off than BVB and their city rivals. 1860 were also second a year later.
Eintracht Braunschweig (1): Braunschweig won their only top-flight title in 1966/67, dethroning 1860 with a two-point cushion thanks to 14 goals from Lothar Ulsaß.
Nuremberg (1): German champions eight times before the new era, Nuremberg won their only Bundesliga title in 1967/68, thanks in no small part to 25 league goals from Franz Brungs. It was a second triumph for their Austrian coach Max Merkel, who was in charge at 1860 two years previously.
Close but no cigar:
Schalke (seven-time runners-up): Bayern famously snatched the title from the Royal Blues in the final seconds of 2000/01. They last finished second in 2017/18.
Bayer Leverkusen (five-time runners-up): Leverkusen have cruelly come up short several times, most notably in 1999/00. An inspired run of form had Daum's team clear by three points going into the last day, but a team featuring the likes of Ballack, Ulf Kirsten and Ze Roberto slumped to a 2-0 defeat at mid-table Unterhaching. Bayern beat Bremen 3-1 to take the title on goal difference.
RB Leipzig finished runners-up in both 2016/17 and 2020/21, while Hertha Berlin (1974/75), Alemannia Aachen (1968/69) and Meidericher (1963/64) have all come second on one occasion.
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