The history of 1. FC Kaiserslautern
Key milestones in the club's history, in chronological order.
The key milestones at a glance.
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 and the Betzenberg
The roots in FC 1900
The club traces its founding tradition to FC 1900 Kaiserslautern and celebrates June 2, 1900 as its foundation date.
Three clubs form FVK
FC 1900, Palatia and Bavaria merge to form Fußballverein Kaiserslautern.
The Betzenberg opens
FV Kaiserslautern inaugurate their new ground on the Betzenberg with a 2-0 defeat by FC Pfalz Ludwigshafen.
Merger with Phönix
FV Kaiserslautern and SpV Phönix 1910 merge to form FVK/Phönix Kaiserslautern.
The name 1. FC Kaiserslautern
FVK/Phönix Kaiserslautern adopts the name 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
The Walter era
First German championship final
The team led by Fritz Walter reaches its first German championship final.
First German championship
Kaiserslautern beat Preußen Münster 2-1 in the Berlin final.
Second German championship
A 4-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart in Berlin brings Kaiserslautern a second championship.
First DFB-Pokal final
FCK reach the DFB-Pokal final for the first time.
Bundesliga and Europe
A founding member of the Bundesliga
One of the Bundesliga’s 16 founding members, Kaiserslautern begin with a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Second DFB-Pokal final
FCK lose the final in Hanover 5-0 to Schalke 04.
The first European match
FCK play their first European match away to English League Cup winners Stoke City.
The 7-4 victory over Bayern Munich
Trailing 4-1, Kaiserslautern turn the match against reigning champions Bayern Munich into a 7-4 victory.
5-0 against Real Madrid: a first European semi-final
Real Madrid3:1
1. FC KaiserslauternFirst leg · March 3, 1982 · Location: Madrid Stadium: Betzenberg-Stadion1. FC Kaiserslautern5:0Real MadridSecond leg · March 17, 1982 · Location: Kaiserslautern Stadium: Betzenberg-StadionAfter losing 3-1 in Madrid, FCK beat Real 5-0 in the return leg.
First European semi-final match
Kaiserslautern draw 1-1 with IFK Göteborg on the Betzenberg in the club’s first European semi-final match.
Biggest Bundesliga victory
Kaiserslautern beat Karlsruher SC 7-0.
Cup triumphs and championships
First DFB-Pokal triumph
The fifth final brings the first cup triumph as Kaiserslautern beat SV Werder Bremen 3-2.
Third German championship
A 6-2 victory at 1. FC Köln secures Kaiserslautern’s third German championship and their first in the Bundesliga era.
Winning the DFB Supercup
As German champions, FCK beat cup holders SV Werder Bremen 3-1 in the Supercup final in Hanover.
European Cup debut
Kaiserslautern make their European Cup debut against Bulgarian champions Etar Veliko Tarnovo.
Beating Barcelona but narrowly missing out
1. FC Kaiserslautern3:1
FC BarcelonaSecond leg · November 6, 1991 · Location: Kaiserslautern Stadium: Fritz-Walter-StadionFollowing a 2-0 defeat at Camp Nou, Kaiserslautern lead Barcelona 3-0 in the return leg.
First Bundesliga relegation
A 1-1 draw away to fellow strugglers Bayer 04 Leverkusen is not enough for survival.
Cup triumph one week after relegation
Just one week after relegation, Kaiserslautern win the DFB-Pokal in Berlin.
Winning the Indoor Masters
Playing in the second division, Kaiserslautern win the DFB Indoor Masters.
An immediate return to the Bundesliga
Exactly one year after relegation, Kaiserslautern beat VfB Lübeck 7-0.
First second-division championship
Eintracht Frankfurt0:01. FC KaiserslauternMatch 1 · June 1, 1997 · Location: Frankfurt am Main Stadium: WaldstadionA goalless draw in Frankfurt makes Kaiserslautern mathematically certain of the second-division title.
German champions as a promoted club
1. FC Kaiserslautern4:0
VfL WolfsburgMatch 1 · May 2, 1998 · Location: Kaiserslautern Stadium: Fritz-Walter-StadionKaiserslautern beat Wolfsburg 4-0 while Bayern Munich draw 0-0 in Duisburg.
First Champions League match
Kaiserslautern beat Benfica 1-0 on their Champions League debut.
Reaching the Champions League quarter-finals
Benfica2:11. FC KaiserslauternMatch 1 · November 25, 1998 · Location: Lisbon Stadium: Estádio da Luz
HJK Helsinki1:3
PSV EindhovenMatch 2 · November 25, 1998 · Location: Helsinki Stadium: Olympiastadion HelsinkiJürgen Rische’s late goal in the 2-1 defeat at Benfica secures the decisive head-to-head advantage: following the 1-0 home win, the away goal counts.
First Champions League quarter-final match
In their first Champions League quarter-final match, Kaiserslautern lose 2-0 to Bayern Munich at the Olympiastadion.
European nights and setbacks
A second UEFA Cup semi-final
1. FC Kaiserslautern1:0PSV EindhovenFirst leg · March 8, 2001 · Location: Kaiserslautern Stadium: Fritz-Walter-StadionFollowing a 1-0 first-leg victory, Kaiserslautern also win 1-0 in Eindhoven.
Seventh DFB-Pokal final
Kaiserslautern reach their seventh DFB-Pokal final.
Second Bundesliga relegation
A 2-2 draw in Wolfsburg is not enough in the direct battle for survival.
The survival finale: staying in the second division
1. FC Kaiserslautern3:0
1. FC KölnMatch 1 · May 18, 2008 · Location: Kaiserslautern Stadium: Fritz-Walter-StadionA 3-0 victory over Köln saves Kaiserslautern from dropping into the third tier on the final matchday.
Promotion is secured
Augsburg’s 1-1 draw at FSV Frankfurt secures Kaiserslautern’s return to the Bundesliga with two matches remaining.
Second 2. Bundesliga title
1. FC Kaiserslautern1:1
FC AugsburgMatch 1 · May 9, 2010 · Location: Kaiserslautern Stadium: Fritz-Walter-StadionKaiserslautern end the season as second-division champions following a 1-1 draw with Augsburg.
Relegation despite an away victory
Hertha BSC1:2
1. FC KaiserslauternMatch 1 · April 21, 2012 · Location: Berlin Stadium: Olympiastadion BerlinKaiserslautern win 2-1 at Hertha BSC but are nevertheless relegated.
Lowest Bundesliga finish: 18th place
After a 5-2 defeat by Dortmund, Kaiserslautern can no longer reach even the penultimate position.
Beaten by Hoffenheim in the play-offs
1. FC Kaiserslautern1:2
TSG 1899 HoffenheimSecond leg · May 27, 2013 · Location: Kaiserslautern Stadium: Fritz-Walter-StadionFollowing a 3-1 first-leg defeat, Kaiserslautern also lose 2-1 to Hoffenheim on the Betzenberg.
Third division and comeback
Dropping into the third tier for the first time
A 3-2 defeat at Arminia Bielefeld confirms the club’s first relegation from the 2. Bundesliga.
First Southwest Cup triumph
Kaiserslautern come from behind to beat Wormatia Worms 2-1 in the final in Pirmasens.
The football company files for insolvency
1. FC Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co.
Retaining the Southwest Cup
After 120 goalless minutes, Kaiserslautern beat Alemannia Waldalgesheim 5-3 on penalties in the final.
Avoiding the drop into the Regionalliga
Following the previous day’s 3-3 draw at Viktoria Köln, a 2-2 draw in the Munich derby confirms survival.
Returning to the 2. Bundesliga
1. FC Kaiserslautern0:0
Dynamo DresdenFirst leg · May 20, 2022 · Location: Kaiserslautern Stadium: Fritz-Walter-StadionFollowing a goalless first leg, Kaiserslautern win the play-off return leg in Dresden 2-0.
Reaching the DFB-Pokal final from the second division
A 2-0 victory at 1. FC Saarbrücken takes Kaiserslautern back to the DFB-Pokal final after 21 years.
Eighth DFB-Pokal final
In their eighth DFB-Pokal final, second-division Kaiserslautern lose 1-0 to German champions Bayer Leverkusen.
