1. FC Köln facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
FC Köln

Full name	1. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V.
Nickname(s)	Die Geißböcke (The Billy Goats) Effzeh
Founded	13 February 1948; 77 years ago (1948-02-13)
Ground	RheinEnergieStadion
Ground Capacity	49,698
President	Werner Wolf
Head coach	Gerhard Struber
League	Bundesliga
2020–21	Bundesliga, 16th of 18
Home colours Away colours Third colours

1. FC Köln, also known as FC Cologne in English, is a professional football club from Cologne, Germany. It was created in 1948 when two older clubs, Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07, joined together.

The team plays its home games at the RheinEnergieStadion. FC Köln has won the German national championship three times. They won the 1962 German football championship and the Bundesliga twice, in 1963–64 and 1977–78. For the 2024–25 season, FC Köln will play in the 2. Bundesliga, after being moved down from the top league.

The club's nickname is Die Geißböcke, which means "The Billy Goats." This name comes from their real-life mascot, a male goat named Hennes. The first Hennes was a gift from a circus owner as a joke during the Cologne carnival. The current mascot is Hennes IX, who took over in 2019. Another local nickname for the club is Effzeh, which is how people in Cologne say "FC."

Like many German football clubs, 1. FC Köln is part of a bigger sports club. It also has teams for sports like handball, table tennis, and gymnastics. With over 100,000 members, 1. FC Köln is one of the largest sports clubs in Germany.

Club History

How the Club Started

An old logo of Kölner BC, one of the clubs that formed FC Köln.

Before 1. FC Köln was formed, there were two main clubs. Kölner BC started on June 6, 1901. Its members were young men who loved football more than gymnastics. Kölner BC won the Westdeutsche championship in 1912. They even played in the national finals that year.

The other club was Spielvereinigung 1907 Köln-Sülz, started in 1907. In 1919, it merged with another club to become SpVgg. They won the Westdeutscher title in 1928. Both clubs played in the top leagues of their time. In 1948, these two clubs decided to join forces. This created the new club we know today as 1. FC Köln.

Early Successes

This chart shows how 1. FC Köln has performed in the league over the years.

After the two clubs merged in 1948, 1. FC Köln started playing in the Oberliga West in 1949. By 1954, they won their first league championship. In the same year, they played in the DFB-Pokal final but lost.

In 1960, they won their second championship and reached the national final. They won the 1962 national final by beating 1. FC Nürnberg 4–0. This win allowed them to play in the 1962–63 European Cup. They lost in the first round. In 1963, they reached the national final again but lost to Borussia Dortmund.

Bundesliga Champions

1. FC Köln playing against Liverpool in the 1965 European Cup.

In 1963, 1. FC Köln was chosen as one of the first 16 teams for the new professional German league, the Bundesliga. They became the very first Bundesliga champions in the 1963–64 season.

As champions, Köln played in the 1964–65 European Cup. They met Liverpool in the quarter-finals. After two draws, a third game was played, which also ended in a draw. Since there were no penalty shootouts back then, the winner was decided by a coin toss. Köln lost the coin toss and was out of the competition.

The club also made history by signing Zézé, their first Brazilian player. In 1965, they finished second in the Bundesliga. In 1968, they won their first DFB-Pokal (German Cup).

In the 1970s, Köln reached the DFB-Pokal final three times but lost each one. However, they won the DFB-Pokal again in 1977. The 1977–78 season was their most successful. They won both the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal. This means they achieved "the double," a rare feat in German football.

Köln won the DFB-Pokal for a fourth time in 1983. In 1986, they reached their first European final, the UEFA Cup Final, but lost to Real Madrid. They also finished second in the Bundesliga in 1989 and 1990. This marked the end of a very successful thirty-year period for the club.

Recent Years: Ups and Downs

Hennes VIII, one of the club's goat mascots.

Since the 1990s, the club's performance has been mixed. They have often moved between the first and second divisions of German football. This is why they are sometimes called a "yo-yo team."

In 1998, the club was moved down from the Bundesliga for the first time. They returned to the Bundesliga in 2005 after winning the 2. Bundesliga. However, they were moved down again in 2006.

In 2006, former coach Christoph Daum returned and helped the club get back to the Bundesliga in 2008. Star player Lukas Podolski also returned to the team in 2009.

The club faced financial challenges and more ups and downs in the 2010s. They were moved down again in 2012. However, a new board of directors and coaching team helped turn things around. Under coach Peter Stöger, Köln won the 2. Bundesliga in 2014 and returned to the top division. They had several good seasons, finishing fifth in 2017. This allowed them to qualify for the Europa League, a European competition, after 25 years.

After returning to Europe, the team had a tough time. They finished last in the 2017–18 Bundesliga season and were moved down again. They quickly returned to the Bundesliga in 2019.

In March 2023, the club faced a transfer ban from FIFA. This meant they could not sign new players for two transfer windows. The ban was because of a dispute over signing a young player, Jaka Čuber Potočnik. The club appealed the decision, but the ban was upheld. In the 2023–24 Bundesliga season, Köln finished near the bottom of the table and was moved down to the 2. Bundesliga once more.

Stadium

The RheinEnergieStadion, home of 1. FC Köln.

1. FC Köln plays its home matches at the Müngersdorfer Stadion. It is also called the RheinEnergieStadion because of a sponsorship deal. The stadium can hold almost 50,000 fans. Most fans still call it "Müngersdorfer Stadion," after the area where it is located.

The club also owns its training center, called Geißbockheim. It is now known as RheinEnergieSportpark due to sponsorship. This center is home to the Franz-Kremer-Stadion, where the club's second team, 1. FC Köln II, plays.

Honours (Trophies)

National Titles

• Bundesliga
  • Champions: 1963–64, 1977–78
  • Runners-up (finished second): 1964–65, 1972–73, 1981–82, 1988–89, 1989–90
• German football championship (older national championship)
  • Winners: 1961–62
  • Runners-up: 1959–60, 1962–63
• DFB-Pokal (German Cup)
  • Winners: 1967–68, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1982–83
  • Runners-up: 1953–54, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1979–80, 1990–91
• 2. Bundesliga (Second Division)
  • Winners: 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2013–14, 2018–19
  • Runners-up: 2002–03

International and Regional Titles

• Easter Cup
  • Winners: 1956
• UEFA Cup
  • Runners-up: 1985–86
• Uhrencup
  • Winners: 1991
• Oberliga West (Regional League)
  • Winners: 1953–54, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63
  • Runners-up: 1952–53, 1957–58, 1958–59

Double Wins

• 1977–78: Won both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal in the same season.

Youth Team Successes

• German Under 19 championship
  • Champions: 1970–71
• German Under 17 championship
  • Champions: 1989–90, 2010–11, 2018–19

Team Kits

The kit worn by 1. FC Köln in the 2021–22 season, featuring Jonas Hector.

Köln's football kits are made by Hummel International. They pay the club €20 million over five years for this.

Club Rivals

Graffiti in Cologne showing the badges of 1. FC Köln's main rivals.

1. FC Köln has strong rivalries with other clubs from the same Rhine-Ruhr region. These include Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayer Leverkusen, and Fortuna Düsseldorf. All these clubs are located near the Rhine river.

Current Players

First Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Marvin Schwäbe 3 DF Dominique Heintz 4 DF Timo Hübers (captain) 5 DF Nikola Soldo 6 MF Eric Martel 7 MF Dejan Ljubičić 8 MF Denis Huseinbašić 9 FW Luca Waldschmidt 11 MF Florian Kainz 12 GK Jonas Nickisch 13 FW Mark Uth 15 DF Luca Kilian 16 DF Marvin Obuz 17 DF Leart Paqarada 18 DF Rasmus Carstensen 19 FW Tim Lemperle 20 GK Philipp Pentke 21 FW Steffen Tigges

No. Position Player 22 MF Jacob Steen Christensen 23 FW Sargis Adamyan 24 DF Julian Pauli 29 FW Jan Thielmann 33 FW Florian Dietz 34 MF Fayssal Harchaoui 35 DF Max Finkgräfe 36 MF Meiko Wäschenbach 37 MF Linton Maina 38 DF Elias Bakatukanda 39 FW Maximilian Schmid 40 GK Jonas Urbig 42 FW Damion Downs 43 FW Jaka Čuber Potočnik 44 GK Matthias Köbbing 47 MF Mathias Olesen

Players on Loan

No. Position Player MF Said El Mala (at Viktoria Köln until 30 June 2025) MF Chilohem Onuoha (at SC Verl until 30 June 2025)

No. Position Player FW Malek El Mala (at Viktoria Köln until 30 June 2025) FW Mansour Ouro-Tagba (at SSV Jahn Regensburg until 30 June 2025)

Second Team Squad

Coaching Staff

Head coach	Gerhard Struber
Assistant head coach	Bernd Eibler
Assistant coach	Thomas Hickersberger
Goalkeeping coach	Peter Greiber
Goalkeeping coach	Pete Berridge
Athletics coach	Max Weuthen
Athletics coach	Leif Frach
Athletics coach	Tillmann Bockhorst

Head Coaches Since 1963

Women's Team

1. FC Köln also has a women's football team. They were promoted to the top German women's league, the Bundesliga, in 2015. They were moved down in 2017 but quickly earned promotion back to the Bundesliga in May 2017.

See also

In Spanish: F. C. Colonia para niños