Werder Bremen

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The name 'Werder' is the German word for 'river peninsula', alluding to the riverside field on which the team played their first football matches. The club was founded by a group of 16-year-old students who had won a football in a tug of war tournament. Werder have been German champions four times, have won the DFB-Pokal six times, the DFL-Ligapokal once, the DFL-Supercup thrice, and the European Cup Winners' Cup once. The team's first major trophy was the 1960–61 DFB-Pokal; they last won the cup in 2008–09. Bremen's first German championship came in 1964–65, and their latest in 2003–04, when they won the double. In European football, Werder won the 1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup, and were runners-up in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. Bremen have played at the Weserstadion since 1909. The club shares a rivalry with fellow northern German club Hamburger SV, known as the Nordderby. In April 2022, Werder had over 40,000 members.

In Their Own Story

The 'Wunder von der Weser' remains the defining moment of European drama for the club. In the 1993–94 Champions League group stage, Werder trailed Belgian side Anderlecht 3–0 after 66 minutes before mounting a stunning comeback to win 5–3. The 1991–92 season saw them reach the pinnacle of European club football by winning the Cup Winners' Cup, beating AS Monaco 2–0 in the final. On the domestic front, the 2008–09 season was a rollercoaster: they lost the UEFA Cup final to Shakhtar Donetsk but claimed the DFB-Pokal with a 1–0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. That same year, they faced Hamburger SV four times in just 19 days across three competitions, eliminating their arch-rivals from both the cup and European tournament while securing a league victory.

Reader's Guide

Werder won the Gauliga Niedersachsen in 1933–34, 1935–36, 1936–37, and 1941–42. They won their first DFB-Pokal in 1960–61, defeating 1. FC Kaiserslautern 2–0 in the final. Werder won their first German championship in 1964–65, finishing three points ahead of 1. FC Köln. They were relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in 1979–80, but won the 1980–81 2. Bundesliga Nord title and were promoted back. Under manager Otto Rehhagel, Werder were Bundesliga runners-up in 1982–83, 1984–85 and 1985–86, and won the Bundesliga in 1987–88. They won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1991–92, beating AS Monaco 2–0 in the final. In 1992–93, the team won their third Bundesliga title, and won their third DFB-Pokal in 1994. Thomas Schaaf took over as manager in May 1999 and won the DFB-Pokal weeks later, defeating Bayern on penalties. In 2003–04, Bremen won both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, claiming the double for the first time. Schaaf left the club in 2013 after a 14th-place finish. Bremen were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga after finishing 17th in 2020–21, but finished runners-up in the 2021–22 2. Bundesliga and won promotion back after one season.

Did You Know?

• Werder's first match was a 1–0 win against ASC 1898 Bremen on 10 September 1899.
• The club was one of the founder members of the German Football Association (DFB) in 1900.
• In 1922, Werder became the first club in Bremen to hire a professional coach, the Hungarian Ferenc Kónya.
• Werder were nicknamed 'Texas 11' because several players worked at the nearby Brinkmann tobacco factory, after one of the company's cigarette brands.
• In 1971, during a match at Borussia Mönchengladbach, the right goalpost snapped after a collision, and the DFB later awarded the win to Werder.