Fortuna Düsseldorf

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Lore & Background

Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league in 1913 and was a fixture in the top flight from the early 1920s up to the creation of the Bundesliga in 1963, where they competed in 25 seasons. Fortuna captured one German championship in 1933 and two German cup DFB-Pokal wins in 1979 and 1980. Their greatest feat in European competition was a Cup Winners Cup final in 1979 where they lost to Barcelona.

In Their Own Story

The air at the Veltins-Arena was thick with anticipation as the Schalke faithful sang 'Auf Schalke' in unison. Across the pitch, the blue and white of Fortuna Düsseldorf stood ready, their chants echoing a defiant challenge from the Rhine. As the referee blew the whistle, the roar of the crowd merged into a single sound of pure football passion, a testament to decades of fierce competition.

Reader's Guide

Fortuna's 1933 German championship victory came against Schalke 04, which was on the verge of becoming the era's dominant side. Fortuna was the first team to win the title without conceding a goal in the final rounds, beating Schalke 3–0 in the final. The club also lost the 1937 Tschammerpokal final to Schalke 04. In the Bundesliga era, Fortuna's best finishes were third place in 1972–73 and 1973–74. The club's DFB-Pokal wins came in 1979 (1–0 vs Hertha BSC) and 1980 (2–1 vs 1. FC Köln).

Did You Know?

• Fortuna's 1933 German championship was the first won by a club from the industrial Rhine-Ruhr area.
• Fortuna recorded a 7–1 victory against Bayern Munich on 9 December 1978, the highest away defeat for Bayern in Bundesliga history.
• Between 1978 and 1981, Fortuna established a record of 18 consecutive DFB-Pokal match victories.
• Fortuna's 1979 European Cup Winners' Cup final loss to Barcelona was the first of four occasions Barcelona won that tournament.