The history of 1. FC Kaiserslautern
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
Bundesliga and Europe
The first European match
FCK play their first European match away to English League Cup winners Stoke City.
The first leg of the UEFA Cup first round ends in a 3-1 defeat at the Victoria Ground.
First European victory and first tie won
A 4-0 victory on the Betzenberg overturns the 3-1 first-leg defeat by Stoke City.
FCK’s first European home match brings their first European win and progress to the next round.
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.
The famous night on the Betzenberg secures a 6-3 aggregate victory and the club’s first European semi-final.
First European semi-final match
Kaiserslautern draw 1-1 with IFK Göteborg on the Betzenberg in the club’s first European semi-final match.
The eventual UEFA Cup winners prevail after extra time in the return leg.
Cup triumphs and championships
European Cup debut
Kaiserslautern make their European Cup debut against Bulgarian champions Etar Veliko Tarnovo.
FCK win the first leg on the Betzenberg 2-0.
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.
José Bakero scores late to make it 3-1; with the aggregate score level at 3-3, FCK go out on away goals.
First Champions League match
Kaiserslautern beat Benfica 1-0 on their Champions League debut.
Martin Wagner scores FCK’s first goal in this competition format on the Betzenberg.
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.
Helsinki’s simultaneous defeat by PSV confirms FCK as group winners and quarter-finalists before the last group match. There is no round of 16 at the time.
First Champions League quarter-final match
In their first Champions League quarter-final match, Kaiserslautern lose 2-0 to Bayern Munich at the Olympiastadion.
A 4-0 defeat in the return leg eliminates FCK against the eventual finalists.
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.
A 2-0 aggregate success against PSV takes FCK into a European semi-final for the second time after 1982.
The European run ends against Alavés
1. FC Kaiserslautern1:4
Deportivo AlavésSecond leg · April 19, 2001 · Location: Kaiserslautern Stadium: Fritz-Walter-StadionAfter losing 5-1 in Spain, Kaiserslautern also lose the semi-final return leg against Deportivo Alavés 4-1.
Their second UEFA Cup semi-final appearance ends without a place in the final.