1954 German football championship
The 1954 German football championship was the culmination of the football season in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1953–54. Hannover 96 were crowned champions for the second time after a group stage and a final.
| Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaft | |
| Country | West Germany |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2–23 May |
| Teams | 6 |
| Champions | Hannover 96 2nd German title |
| Runners-up | 1. FC Kaiserslautern |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Goals scored | 29 (4.14 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Otto Baitinger Rolf Paetz Georg Stollenwerk (3 goals each) |
← 1953 1955 → | |
It was Hannover's second appearance in the German final, having previously won the championship in 1938, beating Schalke 04 4-3 after extra-time. Kaiserslautern were making their fourth appearance, and was the third time they had reached the final in four years, following their championship wins in 1951 and 1953.
The format used to determine the German champion was different from the 1953 season. Only six teams qualified for the championship, instead of eight. These six teams were split into two groups of three, and only played a single round of matches with games on neutral grounds; previously it had been home-and-away games. The reason for this format change and the reduction in the number of games was Germany's qualifying for the 1954 FIFA World Cup, held shortly after the championship final. As in the past seasons, the two group winners then played the national final.
Qualified teams
The teams qualified through the 1953–54 Oberliga season:
| Club | Qualified from |
| Hannover 96 | Oberliga Nord champions |
| 1. FC Köln | Oberliga West champions |
| Berliner SV 92 | Oberliga Berlin champions |
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | Oberliga Südwest champions |
| VfB Stuttgart | Oberliga Süd champions |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | Oberliga Süd runners-up |
Competition
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification | H96 | VFB | BSV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hannover 96 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2.500 | 4 | Advance to final | — | 3–1 | — | |
| 2 | VfB Stuttgart | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1.333 | 2 | — | — | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Berliner SV | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0.200 | 0 | 1–2 | — | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal ratio.
| 2 May 1954 | Berliner SV 92 | 1 – 2 | Hannover 96 | Berlin |
Karlsch  82' |
Report | Tkotz 5' Kruhl 83' |
Stadium: Olympiastadion Attendance: 60,000 Referee: Jacobi (Mannheim) |
| 9 May 1954 | VfB Stuttgart | 3 – 0 | Berliner SV 92 | Berlin |
| Waldner 35' Baitinger 60', 69' |
Report | Stadium: Olympiastadion Attendance: 65,000 Referee: Schreiber (Eschweiler) |
| 16 May 1954 | Hannover 96 | 3 – 1 | VfB Stuttgart | Düsseldorf |
| Paetz 32', 43' Zielinski 46' |
Report | Baitinger 50' |
Stadium: Rheinstadion Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Pennig (Mannheim) |
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification | FCK | KOE | SGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1.667 | 4 | Advance to final | — | 4–3 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | 1. FC Köln | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1.000 | 2 | — | — | 3–2 | ||
| 3 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.500 | 0 | — | — | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal ratio.
| 2 May 1954 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 1 – 0 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Cologne |
| F.Walter 82' |
Report | Stadium: Müngersdorfer Stadion Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Ternieden (Oberhausen) |
| 8 May 1954 | 1. FC Köln | 3 – 2 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Ludwigshafen |
| Stollenwerk 31', 39' Dörner 50' |
Report | Heilig 25' Weilbächer 55' |
Stadium: Südweststadion Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Eix (Emden) |
| 16 May 1954 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 4 – 3 | 1. FC Köln | Stuttgart |
| F.Walter 32', pen.' Scheffler 43'Wenzel 48'O.Walter 68' |
Report | Schäfer 63' Nordmann 79'Stollenwerk 83' |
Stadium: Neckarstadion Attendance: 65,000 Referee: Winkler (Nuremberg) |
Final
| Hannover 96 | 5 – 1 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern |
|---|---|---|
| Tkotz 45' Kohlmeyer 48' (o.g.)Wewetzer 77'Kruhl 81'Paetz 84' |
Report | Eckel 13' |
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Sources
- German Championship 1953-54 at Weltfussball.de
- Germany - Championship 1954 at RSSSF.com
- German championship 1954 at Fussballdaten.de