VfB Stuttgart 1893

Lore & Background

VfB Stuttgart was formed through a 2 April 1912 merger of Stuttgarter FV and FC Krone Cannstatt. Stuttgarter Fußballverein was founded on 9 September 1893 as a rugby club, later adding a football section in 1908. FC Krone Cannstatt was formed in 1897 as a football-only side. The club moved to Neckar Stadium in 1933. VfB won Gauliga titles in 1935, 1937, 1938, 1940, and 1943, reaching the national final in 1935. After World War II, they played in the Oberliga Süd, winning titles in 1946, 1952, and 1954, and became national champions in 1950 and 1952. They were an original Bundesliga club in 1963. In the 1989 UEFA Cup final, with Jürgen Klinsmann in their ranks, they lost out to Napoli (1–2, 3–3).

Reader's Guide

The football team plays its home games at the MHPArena, in the Neckarpark near the Cannstatter Wasen. Second team VfB Stuttgart II currently plays in the 3. Liga. The club's junior teams have won the national under 19 championships a record ten times and the national under 17 championships seven times. VfB is the largest sports club in Baden-Württemberg and the eighth-largest football club in Germany, with over 100,000 members. It has departments for fistball, field hockey, track and field, table tennis, and football referees, all at amateur level, plus an esports department and a social department, the VfB-Garde.

Dominance in the Amateur Leagues

VfB Stuttgart II's early identity was forged in the amateur leagues of Württemberg. After first appearing in the third division Amateurliga Württemberg in the 1959–60 season and winning it outright, the club found itself in the Amateurliga Nordwürttemberg following a split into two regional divisions. There, from 1962 through 1967, the side became a near-untouchable force, claiming four league titles across just five seasons. A fifth championship followed in 1971.

Yet despite this sustained excellence, the club was repeatedly barred from promotion to the professional tiers above, a frustration that defined much of its early history. The team stayed in this league until 1978, generally achieving top-of-the-table finishes but missing out on qualification for the new Oberliga Baden-Württemberg by a single point when it came sixth, with a top-five finish required. The team's league successes also earned it entry into the German amateur football championship, where it triumphed in 1963 by defeating VfL Wolfsburg and again in 1980 by beating FC Augsburg in the final. A 1971 final appearance ended in disappointment, with a loss to SC Jülich 1910.

A Long Climb Through the Tiers

The path to professional football was anything but straightforward. After winning the Oberliga in its first season there, following promotion from the Verbandsliga in 1979, the team was once again denied a step up. It finished second the following year before suffering relegation in 1988. A return to the Oberliga came in 1990, but when the Regionalliga Süd was introduced as the new third tier in 1994, the club failed to qualify.

Promotion arrived in 1998 after another Oberliga title, only for the team to drop back down in 2002. A 2003 Oberliga championship secured a second spell in the Regionalliga lasting five seasons. The breakthrough finally came in 2008, when the club earned a place in the newly created 3. Liga.

It spent eight seasons in that division, typically as a mid- or lower-table side, before finishing last in 2015–16 and dropping to the Regionalliga Südwest. The introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 and the 3. Liga in 2008 each caused all lower leagues to drop one tier, reshaping the competitive landscape the team navigated.

A Pipeline for the First Team

VfB Stuttgart II functions as the reserve squad for the senior club, serving as a critical bridge between the youth academy and the Bundesliga first team. The squad's core is built from recent graduates of Stuttgart's youth setup, supplemented by established older players who fall just short of first-team quality. When a young player stands out at the reserve level, the pathway to promotion is well established. Sami Khedira provides a vivid illustration: in the 2006–07 season he made nine league appearances for Stuttgart II, his last on 24 September 2006. Just one week later, on 1 October 2006, he made his Bundesliga debut for the senior side. This developmental role has been central to the club's identity since it operated under the name VfB Stuttgart Amateure until 2005, when the rebranding to Stuttgart II reflected its formal status as the reserve team of the professional club.

Grounds and Cup Memories

The team's home ground story is one of practical necessity. The Robert-Schlienz-Stadion, a 5,000-capacity all-standing venue, served as home from its opening in 1995 until 2008. Originally called the Amateur-Stadion, it was renamed in honour of the well-known VfB player Robert Schlienz after his death in June 1995; the first match there was a youth championship second-round game on 25 June 1995. When the 3.

Liga requirements exceeded the stadium's capacity, the club relocated to the larger Gazi-Stadion auf der Waldau. After relegation in 2016, it returned to the Robert-Schlienz-Stadion, which now also hosts the A and B youth teams. For the 2024–25 3. Liga season, the team moved again to the WIRmachenDRUCK Arena in Aspach, with a capacity of 10,001.

In cup history, a memorable 2000–01 first-round 6–1 victory over Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt was followed by a 3–0 loss to their own first team in the second round.

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