The history of Eintracht Frankfurt
Milestones and background from the club's history, in chronological order.
More milestones and background for each event.
Categories
Competitions
Nicknames through the years Three names tell a story of near misses, late goals and an unbeaten season. Read the storiesClose the stories
Roots, progress and persecution
A 2–0 win over Waldhof Mannheim secures Eintracht’s first Southern German championship.
Two fixtures remain; the regional title takes them into the German championship finals.
First German championship final
Eintracht reach their first German championship final, losing 2–0 to Bayern Munich in Nuremberg.
Earlier that season they won their second Southern German championship.
Championship and the European stage
German champions
Eintracht beat Kickers Offenbach 5–3 after extra time in Berlin to become German champions for the first time.
Eckehard Feigenspan scores three goals; Frankfurt had also won the Oberliga Süd title.
First European Cup match
Eintracht win their first European Cup match 4–1 away to Young Boys in Bern.
Following Kuopion Palloseura’s withdrawal in the first round, Frankfurt’s European campaign begins in the round of 16 at the old Wankdorf stadium.
First German club in a European Cup final
Following a 6–1 first-leg victory, Eintracht also beat Rangers 6–3 away.
They become the first German club to reach the European Cup final.
The Glasgow final
Eintracht lose 7–3 to Real Madrid at Hampden Park.
In front of more than 127,000 spectators, Erwin Stein scores twice for Frankfurt and Richard Kreß once.
A founding Bundesliga member
One of the 16 founding members, Eintracht begin their Bundesliga history with a 1–1 draw against Kaiserslautern.
Lothar Schämer scores Frankfurt’s first Bundesliga goal from the penalty spot.
First DFB-Pokal final
Eintracht lose their first DFB-Pokal final 2–0 to TSV 1860 München.
The match takes place at Stuttgart’s Neckarstadion.
Cup triumphs and a missed championship
First DFB-Pokal victory
Eintracht beat Hamburg 3–1 after extra time in the final.
Bernd Hölzenbein and Wolfgang Kraus decide the match at Düsseldorf’s Rheinstadion.
Biggest Bundesliga victory
The 9–1 win over Rot-Weiss Essen remains Eintracht’s biggest Bundesliga victory.
Bernd Hölzenbein scores three goals.
A 5–1 win reaches the UEFA Cup final
After losing 2–0 in Munich, Eintracht beat Bayern 5–1 after extra time in the second leg.
A 5–3 aggregate victory sends Frankfurt into the final.
Körbel’s 602nd Bundesliga appearance
Karl-Heinz Körbel makes his final Bundesliga appearance in a 1–1 draw at St. Pauli.
All 602 appearances are for Eintracht Frankfurt, a total that remains the Bundesliga record.
Relegation, survival and promotion
First Bundesliga relegation
A 2–2 draw at Fortuna Düsseldorf mathematically confirms Eintracht’s first Bundesliga relegation.
With 32 points Frankfurt can reach only 35, while Köln already have 37 in the lowest safe position. Their eventual 17th place is the club’s worst Bundesliga finish, repeated in 2001 and 2011.
European triumph and the present
Champions League debut
Eintracht play their first match in the Champions League format introduced in 1992.
They lose 3–0 at home to Sporting, having previously played in the 1959/60 European Cup.
First Champions League round-of-16 qualification
A 2–1 win at Sporting secures Eintracht’s first Champions League round-of-16 place.
Daichi Kamada and Randal Kolo Muani overturn the deficit; Frankfurt finish second in the group with ten points.
First Champions League round-of-16 match
Eintracht play their first Champions League round-of-16 match against SSC Napoli and lose 2–0 at home.
Frankfurt had secured their place in this round with a 2–1 win at Sporting on November 1, 2022.
Champions League qualification through the Bundesliga
A 3–1 win in Freiburg secures third place and Eintracht’s first Champions League qualification through the Bundesliga.
Frankfurt finish with 60 points; their 2022 entry came from winning the Europa League.
60,100 spectators at Deutsche Bank Park
The 2–2 draw with Freiburg fills the arena to its new capacity of 60,100 for the first time following the August expansion.
It is the largest attendance at a match in the rebuilt Deutsche Bank Park.
