Football Association

 

Football in Germany is (like in most European countries) the number one attended and practiced sport. Besides the national league, the Euro cup and the FIFA World Cup has much attention among its population.
Bayern Munich (German: Bayern München) is the most successful German football club, with 25 national championships, 17 National Cups and 5 European Champions titles (three European Cups and 2 Champions Leagues) to its credit, and many more international titles. Like many other German football clubs, Bayern Munich is a multi-sport club.

Franz Beckenbauer's Jersey in 1977

The German national football team is one of the traditional powers of international football. It won the FIFA World Cup in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014 and the European Football Championship in 1972 and 1980 as West Germany and in 1996 as Germany. Miroslav Klose is the leading goal scorer for the national team with 71 goals, but his fame is perhaps eclipsed by that of Franz Beckenbauer who is one of the few men in the world who have won the World Cup both as a coach and a player. Germany also hosted the World Cup in 1974 and 2006, finishing third in 2006 after losing a close semi-final contest to eventual cup winners Italy.
The women's national team is also a world power, with its wins of the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2003 and 2007, making Germany the only nation to win both the men's and women's World Cup and European titles – a rarity for a nation where the center of attention is usually the men's game.